


My Name Is Human

by Cascalence



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angels as Aliens, M/M, Mpreg, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Slight A/B/O dynamics, Songfic, Superheroes, Supervillians, Vague mentions of rape/noncon, yeah i went there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:27:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 95
Words: 226,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26029429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cascalence/pseuds/Cascalence
Summary: Escaping their homeworld had been easier than Gabriel would've thought.  Maybe he should've known that meant the ship was rigged.  He was just lucky that they were near a planet with a breathable atmosphere when the device went off and started frying the entire vessel.Growing up a superhero had never been easy on Sam, or his big brother.  Finding out there was life outside their planet just made things all the more complicated.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury/Original Character(s), Gabriel/Sam Winchester, Max Banes/OC/OC
Comments: 516
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

When Gabriel came to, it seemed like the last of the ship's computers had finally been fried. The entire craft was eerily silent. At least the heat shield had managed to stay up until they'd passed through the layers and layers of this planet's atmosphere.

Groaning softly, he turned his head to check on his little brother, the only person he'd bothered to grab before he left...only to find his seat empty.

" ** _Ca_** \--"

An agonized scream rent the air, turning Gabriel's blood to ice.

His head snapped forward, following the sound of the scream, to see two figures in the distance. _Someone was hurting his little brother!_

His wings snapped up high as he scrabbled with the harness keeping him tethered to his seat. " ** _CASTIEL_**!"

His call was met with silence, and he wasn't sure if that was worse.

A depress of metal, and he was finally, finally free of the harness. He flew with all the power his six wings could muster, calling forth his blade as he dove at the figure kneeling over his brother with glowing hands, torturing him, _breaking Cassie's wings_ \--

There was another scream, and he vaguely realized that it was his own, a fury filled war cry, as he landed right behind the wingless creature before his brother, bringing his blade down and into the shoulder of this being.

It screamed, then issued out a call, but its hands didn't move from Cassie's shuddering form. Gabriel withdrew his blade, readying to bring it down again, when a blur of movement suddenly had him being launched sideways.

Another being had him and was pinning him to the ground. His blade had left his hands, but he wasn't about to give up that easily. " ** _Let go of me, get away from my brother!_** "

This creature above him was wearing some sort of mask, but Gabriel couldn't muster the will to care why. Its hands were glowing, too, and there was a flicker of fear that his own wings were about to be assaulted, that he'd never be able to save Cassie...but he couldn't give up. It was holding down his shoulders, yelling at him, but Gabriel couldn't care. He fought, using the only free limbs he had, the wings we was so sure were in danger. They came up, smacking and hitting as hard as Gabriel could manage. Almost hard enough, but this creature was clearly strong, and seemed to grow stronger as the glow in his hands moved throughout his body.

His wings were meant for flight, not fight. He was bruising them, and they were aching with the muscle strain of his futile struggles. He still tried, kept trying...until he heard a barely-there whimper. He stilled, panic filling his chest more than ever. " ** _Cassie? Cassie, talk to me. I can't...I can't get to you. Talk to me, little brother. Stay with me!_** " he called out, trembling and glaring up at the being above him. He was losing his little brother, and there was nothing he could do, but he'd be damned if he let these creatures see his agony!

" ** _Gabr_** \--" he heard him start, but then there was another grace-wrenching cry...and silence.

He snapped his head to the side, moving his wings, trying to get a view of his little brother, trying to see if he was still alive, trying to comfort him...but all he saw was the bleeding and injured creature still over his little brother, still breaking him down.

" ** _Please! Please stop! Don't...just please stop hurting him!_** " Gabriel found himself pleading. He didn't know if these creatures understood him at all, and highly doubted it given that he didn't understand anything they'd said so far...but it looked like they could tell tone.

The one above him stilled, even if he was still holding him strong. And the one over Cassie straightened slightly, turning enough to look back at him, even if he never stopped in what he was doing.

And then that creature moved, shifting so that Gabriel could see.

He wanted to snarl. What sort of awful sadistic creatures were..........

There was a snap of bone, but Gabriel saw it. It wasn't of a bone breaking...it was of a bone being set in place. He had watched as the upper ridge of Cassie's left wing had moved, seemingly of its own accord, and snapped back into place. There were feathers dropping from his wings, but they were all broken and unable to be healed. Muscle was being repaired from where it'd been torn in half, open and exposed to the world.

They weren't hurting Cassie. They were healing him. Or at least, the one he'd injured was. He grimaced. Shit. He'd been so freaked out, he'd hurt the creature that was helping his brother.

Before he could think of anything, or do anything further, the two creatures of this planet both suddenly tensed, gazes snapping to a distant part of the sky.

The one by his brother said something quietly.

The one above him said something back, rising from where he had Gabriel pinned swiftly.

And then the wingless creature launched into the air. Gabriel gaped for a second, watching as this being flew, somehow without anything to vault and lob him through the air, but still with the grace of one of his own kind.

And then it was crashing back to the ground, having collided with another being.

Gabriel sat up, watching as they rolled on the ground before springing apart and starting to circle one another. They were speaking, but it was all snarls of words that Gabriel couldn't understand. He just knew enough to know...this new being was a threat.

He moved, getting up and going to his blade, drawing it up into his hand and heading to guard his little brother and the healer over him.

His movement made the new being look over at him. What was with these creatures and masks? All the same, he could see a sick sort of interest in them, and more than a little of madness in the depths. His wings twitched and then arched high and fierce as he moved into a low crouch, blade at the ready. He pulled forth all of his skills, which were not inconsiderable, and smirked at the new being.

Yes, the two creatures had managed to pin him down, but Gabriel hadn't been thinking clearly, had been panicked. Now? Now he was...well, not panicked, at least. Thinking clearly, too. These first two creatures were helping. This new one was an obvious threat, judging by the reactions of the first two.

Of course, that would be when things would go to shit. Not that they hadn't been in the first place, but this? So not good.

A high pitched whine sounded through the air, stilling them all. Gabriel's head snapped around, staring at the ship.

Shit. Shitshitshit! The thermal coolers would've deactivated with the death of the computers. The flux drive was left with nothing to contain it! He had forgotten...it was going to blow, and soon. Too soon. He whirled, eyes scanning over Cassie. Almost healed, but not enough for flight, and he wasn't conscious to boot.

Fuck. Fuck, this was going to hurt! His eyes shot over to the second creature. He hoped he had a way to withstand this....

He reached in, grunting as he tugged his grace outward. He poured it out and through his wings, hearing the whining reaching a fever pitch. His wings grew, expanded, and he stretched them to be more, to be further, coiling them around the healer and Cassie.

The Father and the Mother! But he hoped he survived this....

The ship exploded. He heard it, heard the creature he was shielding yell in panic at the sound, felt the heat and the metal and so much more that hit him. It hurt. It _burned_. His eyes fell to his little brother. He took it, all of it, watching as the healer, though panicked, didn't stop working.

It all began to subside...the assault of broken metal, the hot blow of fire and wind. Gabriel tried to hold on, just to make sure it was safe...but he couldn't. His vision was both whiting and curling dark at the edges. He swayed, his wings trying to droop. He grunted with the effort of keeping his ground, keeping the protective cocoon up.

Then he heard noise outside of the bubble. A voice. And the healer responded, tone laced with concern. That was enough. Gabriel was relatively certain it was all safe. And he let his hold on reality slip.


	2. Chapter 2

Aliens. Of all the things Chrysalis had ever seen and experienced, he never expected to see aliens. Certainly not ones bearing wings! They looked like angels...and once the media caught wind of them, that's probably what their species would be called, whether or not that's what they actually were called.

But first? First he had to make sure this alien survived. There was so much blood. Most of it was from the wings, as though they'd tried to use them to take the brunt of the impact. Judging from the torn up ground leading away from the downed ship, they'd been thrown from it and stuttered across the ground before landing in this twisted heap. Honestly? Chrys was afraid to move him from it until he had a good bit healed.

So he'd moved and settled onto his knees beside the being. His older brother and partner, Argent, was on the lookout for any incoming danger; the sonic boom of the ship breaking the atmosphere would definitely have been noticed elsewhere.

When he heard a yell, a call, from the ship, he wasn't really surprised. It was a decent size, and it'd be easy to reckon that it had held more than one passenger. He ignored it, though, keeping his concentration on the pained, trembling being beneath him. While Chrysalis could heal great wounds, he was unfortunately not able to contain the pain that came with the sped-up healing process.

He knew an attack was coming when, seconds later, there was an enraged scream only a few feet from him. But he wasn't vulnerable. One of his abilities was strengthening his own cells, to the point that they were comparable with the strength of carbon fiber. He'd survived grenade launchers largely unscathed before. And so, with a mere thought, he turned his body into its impenetrable state.

It made sense, didn't it? That aliens would have something stronger than him?

The fission of pain was wholly unexpected, and it'd been so long since he'd been caught off-guard like this...he had screamed. And then called for Argent.

He was fully expecting there to be another blow of the awful, searing pain...maybe even a deadly wound with it. But Argent was fast even on a bad day, and he heard the impact as the being attacking him was thrown away. With that, he refocused his attention on the shivering mess of blood, flesh, and bone beneath him. Healing the body was mostly easy. The wings were what was taking so much work. So many small, fragile bones, so much torn and exposed muscle. It was sickening...but Chrys hated to say it, he'd seen worse.

"Damn it, quit fucking hitting me, you feathered dick! He's fucking healing him!" he heard Argent yelling. It was almost comedic, but Chrys wasn't sparing a moment to focus on anything but the work before him.

And then...then all the rage and fire in the other alien had vanished into a pleading tone, following one of the cries of the one under his hands. A cry that had somehow just been worse than the others, even if it wasn't as loud.

Chrys' heart strings were tugged by that tone, and he'd been unable to help looking back over his shoulder.

That one...that one had more wings than this one. This one had two, and that one had six. Why?

His eyes, though...Chrys' breath had caught at them. They were wild and desperate, a hot molten gold unlike anything he'd ever seen.

It occurred to him then...that this being probably thought he was trying to hurt the other. All he could do was show that that wasn't the case here. So he carefully moved around a bit, keeping his hands hovering close, his energy flowing out and correcting all the _wrongness_ he felt from the body beneath them.

For a second, those eyes had flared in rage and grief...and then he'd seen something. Chrys' eyes were on him, not on the one beneath him, so he wasn't sure what...but it had the alien starting to calm, he could see that. Chrys let out a soft breath of relief. Good.

And then he felt it. The wrongness not associated with wounds, but with...with villians. Usually they couldn't feel it unless they were right up on it. But sometimes...well, honestly, he wasn't sure. Sometimes the sensation was just projected somehow.

"Argent..." he began.

"I know," he heard his brother speak.

Trusting the other hero to handle it, he looked back to the body still healing beneath him. Closer and closer to being fully healed. Good...Chrys was getting tired.

He stiffened. The six winged one was drawing close to him. He swallowed nervously, glancing up...only to see its back to him, blocking view of Argent and the villian. The wings spread high. Protectively, he realized.

His eyes went back to the one under his hand, hearing his brother yell and cuss at the villian he was tussling with.

There was a sound filling the clearing suddenly. A whine, mechanical in nature. Like something was gearing up to release energy. He frowned, looking up again...only so see those golden eyes looking over him and the other alien. And then the six wings were _growing_. Chrys knew he was gaping openly as they moved around them, making a bubble. Wait, why was--

There was an explosion. "ARGENT!?" he cried out in panic. The being over him was in pain, he could see it in his features, but what was happening to his brother out there???

It lasted for several minutes, he could tell. The way the being above him swayed, focused inward on himself.

"Chrysalis?" he finally heard from outside the wings.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright. You?" he spoke.

And then the six wings were suddenly shrinking, back to their original size, and the golden-eyed alien was pitching forward.

Chrys quickly shifted, grunting and withholding a yelp as it landed against his injured shoulder, but thankfully not on the almost healed alien beneath him.

Almost at once, the weight was being pulled away. "I'm good. That one healed enough yet? We need to get out of here before Carnal gets back."

"Almost done. Where are we going to take them?"

"The Tower, duh. Not like there's any place else we can take them," Argent said.

Chrys thought about it, then grunted his agreement.

"...I'm going to need to sleep for a few..." he began, turning to look at Argent. And then he saw the outside of the six-wings' alien's wings. "...Ah, dammit."

"Nah-uh. Let them heal on their own. I don't need you out for days."

"Argent, I have to. I have to, and you know it. I can't just leave him like that. Hell, those are third degree burns! You know what those feel like. I can't imagine what they feel like on _wings_."

"Let 'im suffer. The dick stabbed you, Chrys!"

"I'm aware. I'm also aware he thought I was hurting this one, not helping. Tell me what you'd have done."

His brother snapped his mouth shut, jaw ticking.

"That's what I thought. We get to the Tower, I'll heal him, and then I'll crash out. ...Sorry you're going to have to take care of me again."

"Shut up, Bitch."

"Jerk," he huffed in a laugh. The _wrongness_ from the being under him was finally gone and he stood, managing not to sway, and scooped him up in his arms, one just beneath the base of the wings, the other under his knees. With that, they took to the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

Pain. Pain that made him tremble. And heat. Heat that was so bad, it made him cold on the inside, adding to the shudders wracking his body.

Then something was touching him. Reaching out, stretching over him, and it _hurt_ , but at the same time, it somehow felt _good_. It cooled the heat, it warmed the cold. It began easing the pain.

It made his grace react. And wasn't that just the strangest thing?

He was hardly aware...only just aware enough to know he wasn't really conscious. All the same, he found himself following some sort of instinct he hadn't even known was there, something that he'd never experienced before.

And for the first time in all his years, it wasn't a push, or a painful tug, to uncoil his grace. He found himself reaching out with it easily, brushing back against the thing touching him.

He got vague impressions. Concern, curiosity...and exhaustion. Exhaustion that was getting worse by the second. Why? What was happening in the waking world?

It was enough that he found himself trying to push to wakefulness.

That had been a mistake. Pain easily quintupled, and it had his grace yanking back down in him, coiling tight as he fought against it. But he was unable to do more than scream as wave after wave crashed into him.

And then the thing that had been stretched over him was ripped away, gone...and the small amount of comfort it had been providing was gone. He was ashamed to admit it, but a whimper escaped him then, and the tremors wracking his body became so much worse, adding to the pain. The pain from his wings. What the hell had happened to his wings??

" ** _Stay away from him!_** " he heard, and wasn't it just telling how much pain he was in, that it took a long moment before he could place his own brother's voice?

" ** _Cassie?_** " he found himself whimpering out.

_Castiel, on the ground, blood, feathers, bone, muscle...._

The memory flooded him unbidden and he tried to push himself up, despite the pain, tried to see his brother.

He felt Castiel's hand on his arm, firm if not unsure, helping him up. Every tiny little movement brought waves of undulating, crashing pain, but he gritted his teeth against it, forced his awareness away and out from it.

Once he was on his feet, and not about to crumple back to the semi-soft thing he'd been on, he turned to see what was going on.

White. So much white. The walls, the furniture, the open door, revealing a hallway that was just as white.

There were two other beings in the room. _Wingless_.

_Hands glowing over Cassie's crumpled form. Healing._

One was picking himself up from the floor, the healing one. There was a smear of blood on the wall behind him, and there was a break in the wall, too.

The other one, clad in blue leathers that rivaled the blue of Cassie's eyes, was standing between them all, eyes furious, fisted hands glowing at his sides.

The rising one, the healing one, clad in green leathers that matched the eyes of the other being, spoke something. Something he and Cassie didn't understand, in a soothing tone. It didn't stop Cassie from bringing his blade up a bit more, in open threat.

" ** _Cassie. Cassie, they're helping._** "

" ** _You screamed!_** " his little brother protested.

" ** _What do you remember, Castiel? Think back_** ," Gabriel spoke, placing a hand over the one Cassie still had on his arm.

He watched his brother's stubborn jaw slowly go slack at whatever memories and impressions he recalled. He then startled and his head snapped to the side, looking over his shoulder as he stretched his wing in inspection. There was large stretches of smooth flesh, naked of feathers that would regrow over the next couple of weeks.

As his brother inspected his own wings, Gabriel looked back at the two beings of this planet. The one in green leathers, taller than the one in blue, had moved forward and was gripping the shoulder of the other. Gabriel's eyes went down to the hands of the one in blue, seeing them no longer glowing. That, he thought, was good. He was pretty sure that his memories, though currently hazy with the pain he was under, indicated this was a soldier and medic team.

" ** _My wings should not have been able to be repaired,_** " he heard Cassie say. Gabriel allowed his attention to be drawn back to his little brother, and he saw his brow furrowed. " ** _The damage...I'm certain not even the greatest of grace healers could've..._** " he trailed off, his gaze going to the other creatures in open curiosity.

Gabriel didn't get a chance to reply. Under the gaze of his brother, the healer was starting to step forward again. Almost without caution, though he was eyeing Cassie's slowly lowering blade with a look that conveyed no small amount of fear. Gabriel wondered about that...but he could only do so vaguely. Most of his concentration was on trying to push the pain away from crippling him.

" ** _Stow the blade, little brother,_** " he said. Castiel's gaze snapped to him, his wings arching and shuddering in what was an obvious intimidation display.

" ** _Brother, if they mean us harm, I'd rather not take the extra second to summon it. I will not--_** "

" ** _Do it. I already stabbed him once, Cassie. He's scared, and still trying to help. Just do it,_** " Gabriel urged, his wings moving automatically to try and soothe his brother's concerns.

That had been a mistake. He found himself yelping, his knees buckling. He went to them, and in an instant, Castiel was on his knees before him, blade gone as he gripped both of Gabriel's arms.

And then that touch-not-touch was back. His shoulders slumped in relief. He felt his grace starting to uncoil again and he found his own mind wavering in indecision before he allowed it to reach out.

Exhaustion. Pain, too, and concern...but so much exhaustion. Gabriel couldn't help a concerned rumble in his throat.

" ** _Gabriel?_** "

" ** _The healing he's doing...I can feel the toll its taking on him, Cassie. My...my grace, it's...it's reacting weird to this. And I can feel him. He's so tired_** ," Gabriel supplied. The pain was fading rapidly, and he was becoming more aware of the room.

Green-leathers, as he was going to call him for now, was behind him, kneeling on the floor. He didn't turn to look, but he was willing to bet those glowing hands were hovering between them.

Blue-leathers was very slowly making his way forward, toward Green-leathers. His gaze was darting between them all, mistrustful when it landed on him or Cassie...and full of desperate concern when it landed on Green-leathers.

Cassie's wings were twitching in agitation. He wanted to do something, to help somehow, but they both knew there was nothing he could do. Cassie had been trained to be a soldier-scientist, like himself.

And through it all, he felt the growing exhaustion of the being behind him.

Blue-leathers spoke, but was interrupted by Green-leathers. His voice was so tired, and so soft.

The concerned rumble left his throat again.

Curiosity flickered through the presence he was touching with his grace, there and gone in an instant under the waves of tired.

There were weird things in his own mind. Things that had him wanting to coil his grace around the presence...and _into_ it.

What on Father's good Creation was this? He almost followed the instinct, but...he'd never heard of this among his own kind. What would happen if he did this-whatever it was-with a different species? Did he really want to take that risk? Did he really want to potentially kill them both if he dared to do it?

The presence was flickering now. So tired. So...so _dim_. His wings twitched, and it didn't hurt.

Blue-leathers was right beside Green-leathers now. Was speaking to him quietly, looked ready to move from what little Gabriel could see of him.

Ready to catch him, Gabriel realized. They knew what this was doing to Green-leathers...and they were doing it anyway.

The presence was pressing against him suddenly, in a hurried and frenzied way it hadn't been before. Gabriel frowned at the sensation. And then there was a sense of relief from the presence before it was gone suddenly.

He found his wings snapping out in alarm, twisting so he could see the beings behind him.

Blue-leathers was already sweeping the taller Green-leathers into his arm, with a concerned frown on his face.

Their eyes met, those deep green depths full of mistrust...but also a command. _Don't fucking move_.

Gabriel brought one arm up, grasping the underside of Cassie's arm, to keep him still. The brothers watched the strange leathers-clad beings of this planet leave the room.

" ** _...What now?_** " Cassie spoke finally.

Wasn't that the million-plethor question?


	4. Chapter 4

Gabriel was never one to be contained. Really, it was a miracle he'd waited this long before finally slipping from the room. Cassie, of course, followed quickly after. This was a whole new planet, completely uncharted territory for them. They weren't ready to be separated when danger could literally be right around the corner.

And maybe it was. They almost ran right into Blue-leathers as they turned a corner in the long hallway.

And Blue-leathers...was in different clothing. What...what sort of material was that?? All of it looked odd. A criss-cross pattern of fabric that sat open over a white shirt of some sort, with some rough-looking faded blue material serving as pants. His fingers twitched, but like hell he was touching. That would be weird.

Blue-leathers was scowling at the both of them, clearly displeased. Gabriel imagined that if he wasn't wingless, he'd be making an intimidation display. All it did was make Gabriel smirk, the feathers on the underside of his wings (the only feathers he currently had) fluffing playfully. He saw Blue-leathers' eyes track over the feathers in curiosity under that mask he still wore. But then he caught sight of Gabriel's smirk, and that scowl deepened. And he was shoving a platter of something into Gabriel's chest. Gabriel barely managed to scrabble to grab it before it was released.

He couldn't help but tilt his head as he stared at it. Cassie shifted up beside him, his various patches of feathers fluffing as his wings twitched with curiosity. " ** _Food?_** " he asked.

" ** _Looks like. But...but even if they aren't trying to poison us, who says they won't accidentally?_** " Gabriel said with a frown.

" ** _...We have nothing with which to scan the food, do we?_** "

" ** _Nope! Ship blew while you were out. Didn't think to grab anything before it did._** "

Blue-leathers was still standing there, watching them, frowning a bit. Probably because he had no clue what they were saying.

He heard Cassie grunt and his gaze snapped over to him. His brother was holding his hand over the chunks laid out over the platter. Ah...Cassie was using his grace to determine the safety here. He'd probably be better at figuring it out than Gabriel would. While they were both soldier-scientists, Cassie was more proficient at the second part of that.

" ** _It seems compatible with our digestive systems...but I cannot say for certain that it won't have detrimental effects,_** " he spoke after several long moments.

Being the big brother, Gabriel decided it was on him to find out if it was safe. " _ **I'll eat some, then. Couple of hours, nothing happens...then you can eat, alright?**_ "

" _ **Gabriel**_..."

" ** _Don't give me that. I know you're hungry. Just wait a couple of hours, and let's use me as the trachora here, alright?_** "

Cassie frowned in consternation, but nodded.

So Gabriel shifted the platter to one hand, reaching up and taking a chunk of the food and popping it into his mouth. The juicy red thing was sweet and watery. His wings twitched as he considered the flavor, and decided he liked it.

His eyes tracked up, seeing Blue-leathers watching him curiously.

Deciding to ignore him, Gabriel slipped around the wingless being easily, continuing down the hallway. It opened suddenly into a large open area. There were so many curiosities here....

Eating a white cube with a green skin to it, that was tart and he wasn't sure he liked, Gabriel swept through the area, looking at the furniture that was so like what they had on their home world.

" ** _It's like a couch,_** " Cassie commented, poking at the seat of one of the cushions.

" ** _I think that's exactly what it is, little bro. They're bipedal, like us. It'd make sense a lot of their furnishings are going to be the same_**."

" ** _Mm, yes, of course._** "

Gabriel's eyes moved to where Blue-leathers stood, still watching them. He popped a odd shaped red thing into his mouth that was both sweet and sour, but he found himself liking it all the same. As he chewed, he rolled his memories around in his head. He wasn't sure of Green-leathers' name...though he was sure he'd heard it. But this one? He think he knew...had heard it when he'd stabbed Green-leathers. Had heard it when the ship blew.

"...Ar...Arrrgent?" he tried. And the wingless' eyes snapped to him, surprised. "Argent?" he tried again.

Argent nodded, letting out a quiet sound. A simple one. A yes?

Castiel, curious, was moving back to Gabriel's side, tilting his head, his mouth silently trying the name, testing it out. Gabriel frowned a bit, trying to figure out how to ask what he wanted. He found himself chewing on his lower lip, then finally brought his hand up, pointing at Argent, then at the empty space next to him. " ** _Green-leathers?_** "

Argent's brow furrowed for a moment, but then it clicked, his brows shooting back up. "Chrysalis," he supplied.

Gabriel gave a short nod, tucking the name away in his mind. It didn't sound easy to say, but he'd figure it out. Later. For now...he tried to figure out how to ask the next question. Father and Mother, communication was hard here! He wished the ship hadn't blown...there had been a couple of devices that would've made this far easier.

He licked his lips, then looked to the hallway, and back to Argent, hoping that he could read the question on his face. Where was Chrysalis?

Argent said something. He wasn't sure if it was an answer to his question, couldn't understand it at all. He was pretty sure his subsequent frown showed that. But Argent was making a waving motion...a dismissal. He found his feathers fluffing in irritation at that.

But then was pointing at him, saying something, questioning him. Gabriel frowned all the more, letting out a frustrated growl.

"Castiel," Cassie suddenly spoke. He was standing a bit straighter and had a palm on his own chest. Oh! ...Well, wasn't his little brother just so clever, figuring out what Argent was asking?

"Castiel," Argent mimicked easily. He seemed to mull something over, and then, "Cas," he said simply.

And oh...Cassie's wings were doing something quite interesting at that.

" ** _Little brother...are you interested in a wingless?_** "

" ** _What? No! Don't be ridiculous!_** "

" ** _Mhm..._** " Gabriel said, smirking.

Cassie scowled at him, patches of feathers fluffing in irritation, wings rising in an intimidation display that never worked on Gabriel. It just made him grin all the more.

Argent made a sound, a clearing of his throat...though his eyes were glancing at Cassie's wings every few seconds in open curiosity, he was also looking at Gabriel in clear expectation.

Oh, right.

Placing a hand to his own chest, "Gabriel," he gave.

That drew a surprised reaction out of Argent. "Gabriel?" he asked, as though incredulous. Then he said something else, but whatever it was, Gabriel didn't understand it. And then he was saying something about Chrysalis, looking toward the hallway, frown in place.

And then Cassie snagged a cube off the platter, popping it in his mouth.

" _ **Cassie! We don't know--**_ "

" ** _I'm hungry. I'll risk it._** "

"... ** _Dammit all, Cassie_** ," Gabriel sighed, shaking his head and moving to the couch. He sat on it, then shuffled uncomfortably. The back was just a bit too high for his bottom set of wings. They were pinned between him and it.

Cassie settled next to him, and they let all efforts of communication go as they ate cube after cube of the strange pieces of food, debating between themselves just what it was. Fruits, they decided on. Cubed fruits. And it made sense, with the juiciness most of them had.

At some point, Argent went off into another section of the room that was set off from the rest of it.

" ** _Brother, we need to figure out what to do now. We're trapped on this planet, and--_** "

" ** _And for now, we stay here. These wingless are helping us, Cassie. Much as I hate relying on another, we need them. At the very least, until we learn their language_**."

" ** _Mm...I suppose so. But then what?_** "

" ** _One step at a time, Cassie. Language, then culture. Then we'll figure out how to make a place for ourselves after that._** "

" ** _It's as good a plan as any, for right now, I suppose._** "

Gabriel nodded and gripped Cassie's shoulder. " ** _No matter what happens, Cassie...we've got each other. We'll make it._** "


	5. Chapter 5

Damn biological needs. And the lack of being able to communicate them.

All the same, when he approached Argent and drew the wingless' gaze, it seemed like he'd been able to read him. Maybe it was the way he was bouncing a bit? Maybe that was something that was not unique to Gabriel's own species?

Argent said something, and then was leading him into the hallway. A few doors down and he opened a door that revealed what looked like a bathroom. Not as advanced as Gabriel was used to, but it was definitely more than enough. He eyed the shower as he stepped in. That was...really fucking small. But then...a wingless didn't need the room that one of Gabriel's kind would need, did they? And looking at it that way, he supposed that this shower was actually large.

He heard the door close from behind him and turned, seeing that Argent had left him to it. Well, good to know privacy was a thing here, too. Maybe their cultural differences wouldn't be completely staggering, then.

The next couple of days passed with minimal activity. Argent gave them fruits still, seemed to be afraid to give them more than that, even if he cooked things that smelled really fucking delicious. Gabriel was determined to find a way to sneak something of it soon.

Cassie had discovered how to work the large flat black panel on the wall. They were picking up bits of language from that, but it was difficult without having context. But it had shown them that this planet was full of wingless. They were going to stick out like sore thumbs, once they went out.

They slept in the same room, shared a bed that was frankly smaller than either of them were used to. It caused cramps in their wings where they hung over the bed. It'd have been better on them, to not be sharing a bed...but in this new place, old nest instincts were flaring and keeping them close together.

Showering here was...uhg. Difficult. For one thing, their soaps stripped out his wing oil. That had been unpleasant. And then Argent was bitching at them every time they did take a shower. Nothing either of them understood, but they both guessed it had to do with how much water their wings tended to get all over the place.

Clothing was interesting, too. Argent had provided them with some, and while it fit Cassie decently, it almost swallowed him completely. And some of it was rough and scratchy. And none of it allowed for their wings. Castiel had taken his blade to what he was given, but Gabriel opted to go shirtless entirely. It wasn't entirely comfortable; he did like the added warmth of fabric in the almost agreeable coolness of the place they were in. But cutting up shirts to fit his six wings through would essentially leave them little more than scraps of fabric. He just wasn't going to bother.

Cassie was the one taking more initiative on the communication front, even if it had been Gabriel to initiate it originally. But Argent seemed reluctant every time Cassie sat down at the table across from him. His eyes would dart to the hallway, like he was looking for a way out, almost. Gabriel really would've thought he was, if Argent didn't say something about Chrysalis every time this came up.

The third day, Gabriel was up before Cassie. It was surprising, but he decided to take advantage of getting first run of the shower. Seems like hot water ran out around here, after so long. He didn't get how it worked, but it would recharge after a while.

Once clean and dressed, he eyed the bathroom, wondering if he should use one of the obvious towel fabrics to try and soak up the water. The thought of the annoyance and grumbling from Argent had him smirking, though, and he decided to let it be.

He made his way out of the hall and into the open area that held the living area, some sort of planning area, and a kitchen.

And froze, staring.

Chrysalis was there, eyes closed as he savored something in a cup that was raised to his lips.

Something about that moment was...he didn't know. He couldn't explain it. Ethereal, maybe? That was the closest he could get to it.

But it was broken as Chrysalis pulled the cup away, his eyes opening. Those hazel depths locked onto Gabriel within seconds, and they just stared at one another for...seconds? Minutes? Eternities?

This was...unusual. He'd say awkward, but somehow it wasn't. There was something in the air, though. What, he didn't know. But he needed to break it. It was too much.

"Chrys-lis," he tried.

Chrysalis blinked...once, twice...and holy hells, that smile was fucking _beautiful_.

"Chrys," the wingless spoke. Gabriel frowned for a second, before understanding; it was a shortening of his name, something easier to pronounce. He found himself nodding.

"Chrys," Gabriel repeated. That smile came back from Chrys in full force, and Gabriel felt his wings moving of their own accord before he snapped them tight to his back. Nope! Not happening!

Chrys raised an eyebrow behind his mask. He was blatantly curious, by his expression...but then he let it go, and gestured to the seat across from him. "Sit?" he spoke.

Gabriel found himself smirking. He didn't use more than one word, he gestured to indicate what he meant...this was why Argent had been reluctant to attempt communication. Argent didn't get how to do it. Chrys did.

And so, Gabriel sat down across from Chrys, and began the slow process of learning a new language.


	6. Chapter 6

After the gold eyed alien sat across from his, Chrys had launched into learning his name. And he was surprised to learn it was a very human name. Gabriel.

"Wow," he'd said in automatic response.

"Wow?" Gabriel had echoed.

Chrys considered for a moment. How did he communicate that this was a common name on this world? He stood and trod over, picking up his tablet and starting to pull up actors around the world with the same name. He showed them to Gabriel, swiping through the pictures, and saying the name at each swipe.

Slowly, the alien nodded, seeming to understand. Then he looked up at Chrys and spoke again. "Castiel?"

Chrys frowned in confusion. That wasn't a word he'd heard before. And then Gabriel was gesturing to the hallway, repeating the word. ...The name. The other alien, its name was Castiel, he concluded. Chrys shook his head. He'd never heard that name before. It didn't mean it didn't exist, but he doubted it. The alien nodded his head as if he'd expected as much.

"Chrys, you're awake," came his brother's relieved voice.

"When are you going to learn, Argent? Healing is not going to kill me," he said with a roll of his eyes.

It only served to make Argent scowl. "Mexico," he said simply.

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

"But by the grace of God! Dammit, Chrys--"

"Cut it out! I'm fine, dammit!"

"You were out for--"

Their yelling was cut short when wings arched between them. Looking down revealed Gabriel frowning, confused, but clearly not liking the argument between them. Chrys reached out and gave the alien's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Argent huffed and walked around them and the table, heading into the kitchen. "This isn't over, Chrys. You've got a complex of some sort. I'm gonna break you of it," he grumbled.

Chrysalis rolled his eyes. "Brothers," he mumbled in amusement, like Gabriel would understand.

But judging by the sharp eyes darting between them, it seemed he did. "Brothers," the alien repeated quietly. Chrys couldn't help smiling a bit at that. "Castiel. Brothers," the alien spoke in explanation.

Chrys held up one finger. "Brother." Then he added a second finger. "Brothers." Singular and plural.

Gabriel nodded. "Castiel, brother."

"Gabriel?" The voice came from the hallway. Looking over revealed Castiel stepping into the living area.

"Hello, Castiel," Chrys called in greeting. He watched the black-feathered alien's wings give a startled sort of twitch as he otherwise stilled, but then took another step forward.

"Hello, Ch...Chrysalis," Castiel spoke. A better pronunciation than his brother had given.

All the same, "Chrys," he provided, to give the alien something easier to say.

It was then that Argent came out of the kitchen. He shoved a platter of fruits toward the aliens, and held out one of the vitamin and protein building shakes to Chrys. They honestly tasted nasty, but after being asleep for almost two days straight, Chrys would need them or he'd get sick.

He took a drink as Castiel moved to sit beside Gabriel, Castiel already beginning to tuck into the fruit. Gabriel, however, was watching Chrys, and Chrys' shake, in blatant curiosity.

"...Argent? Tell me you've given them more than fruit and water...."

"No. Look, I figured it was the safest route to go. They're freaking aliens! I'm lucky I haven't poisoned them yet."

"Well, I'm awake now. I'll probably be able to heal any poisoning. Make some pancakes? Chocolate chip pancakes."

Argent gave a snort from behind Chrys. "Yeah, okay, let's kill the aliens with chocolate."

"They're not dogs."

"Could still kill 'em."

"I won't let it."

Despite all his protests, Argent was already back in the kitchen, pulling ingredients from the cabinets. Gabriel was watching him in open, expectant curiosity. Chrys had a feeling that, despite language barriers, the alien knew what was going on. Was eagerly expecting the result, too. He spoke something to Castiel that had the two winged alien pausing mid-bite and looking toward the kitchen.

Chrys was drawn back to that; why did they have different amounts of wings? Especially when they were brothers (though they didn't even look alike, either). Well, the first step to finding out the answer to that question was to continue the learning between them. He gave a short wave of his hand, drawing the attention of both aliens. He gestured to himself. "Human," he began. It gave them both flickers of confusion, so he gestured toward Argent. "Human," he repeated.

Wings twitched, feathers fluffed, and as one, the aliens spoke. "Angel."

"Dude. They did not just say angel."

"...Oh, they did. God help us. Media's going to go nuts, there's going to be riots from religions around the world. Wouldn't doubt a good many of them try to worship them."

"Lovely. What kind of shit-storm did we just get caught up in?"

"The worst, but we'll handle it. We always do."

Argent walked over with two plates of pancakes, syrup bottle hanging from his fingers as he set them down in front of the aliens.

Castiel was picking up his fork, but Gabriel stopped him with a few words. Castiel frowned, but nodded. And Gabriel was taking a bite of the pancakes, sans-syrup. His eyebrows went up, and he was eating probably faster than was healthy. He was saying something around a mouthful to Castiel when Chrys took advantage of his inattention to raise his hand and feel out Gabriel's system, to make sure that nothing bad was happening in there.

He didn't expect it to make Gabriel's eyes snap around to him like that. Like...like he felt it. Chrys frowned in curiosity, wondering if the alien could feel his energy. Well...it was just something to figure out later. Right now, he focused on feeling him. Nothing felt off...nothing wrong. Not yet. He'd check again in a little bit, just to make sure.

He went to lower his hand, starting to withdraw his energy, but then Gabriel's hand shot up, grabbing his. People usually recoiled from directly touching his energy, but the alien didn't. In fact...the alien seemed to lose a tension Chrys had noticed before, when he touched it directly.

Castiel was saying something. Argent's voice came, too. But Chrys' attention was on the golden eyes locked with his.

And then he felt something else. Something pressing into his energy through his hand. His breath hitched with the sensation. It was foreign, something he'd never felt, not once...so how did it feel right?

" ** _What_**..."

"Grace."

And then he was being yanked from Gabriel, Argent's grip on his shoulder unyielding.

"Dammit, Chrys, what the fuck is going on?" Argent was saying.

Chrys blinked rapidly. ...When had the lights gone out?

"D...Argent? What's going on?" he asked confusedly, trying to ignore the sense of loss.

"That's what I'm asking! The pipsqueak grabbed you, and then the lights started going crazy before they all just _blew out_! Then there's the fact that you said something in their freaky alien language!"

"...What?"

Argent let out a wild, angry, worried, frustrated noise. "Exactly!" he barked.

"...I don't know what happened, Argent. Let's just get the lights back on and make sure they're okay, yeah?"

"...No touching them anymore."

Chrys wanted to protest. But he hadn't even been aware of what was happening. He'd been completely entranced. So he didn't argue with the order.


	7. Chapter 7

He and Argent worked to empty out the light shields of glass and replace the bulbs. It took over an hour.

The aliens--angels, as they called themselves--simply sat and watched, murmuring to one another every so often. Gabriel looked as confused as Chrys felt. Castiel's gaze was analytical, full of consideration.

Chrys had stopped a couple of times to check over Gabriel's system, keeping his energy as far from the angel as he could. Each time, Gabriel's wings twitched and the feathers fluffed, but he didn't reach out again. It was both a relief and a disappointment.

Finding no marks of wrongness settling in Gabriel's system after the third check, he looked at Castiel and gestured to the food in front of him. "Eat," he suggested gently. The black winged angel complied readily, apparently curious about the now-cold pancakes in front of him. Chrys couldn't help but smile as he inhaled them with the same gusto that Gabriel had.

"Looks like everything's good to go," Argent said, walking back into the room.

Chrysalis looked over at him, giving a nod and a faint smile. "Good. Wish I knew what that was..." he said with a faint frown.

Argent said something, but it was distant...underwater, far away. Chrys tilted his head. "Wha..." he began, but then he recognized why it sounded like it was coming from the end of a tunnel.

Shit, he hadn't had one of these in a while. "Argent, vision," he warned. It was all he managed to get out before searing pain ripped through his head.

Fire, flame...an explosion. Two trains, passing and derailed by it all. Bodies, blood...they were passenger trains!

"Noo..." he groaned out. Quick though it was, the vision was devastating in multiple ways.

"Chrys. Chrys, come on. Come back."

"Trains," he croaked out, throat dry and scratchy. Had he screamed again?

"Details, little brother. We gotta get there, you know that. What'd you see?"

Chrys grit his teeth against the echoes of pain, pushing at the memory. "Close to a station," he started, wincing as he pushed harder. He needed the location! "Mucipro station," he whimpered out as it flashed through his mind.

"Okay. Okay, let it go now. Push it away. I'll get Moon Queen on the line while we suit up."

Chrys nodded, shoving it away. There was still pain flaring through his head...it'd be there for hours yet, but the worst of it would go with the vision, taking away the sharp edge. In front of him, Argent was rising from the floor, where he'd been kneeling in front of him. Chrys let his hands slip away from where he'd instinctively gripped onto his brother, allowing the other to stand. He took a few seconds as Argent walked off before moving to stand as well.

He'd forgotten the vertigo that came with these. He stumbled and almost collapsed, but there was something firm and a bit soft there all at once, buffering him. Chrys blinked and looked at it. Gold...feathers. Oh wow. His eyes went to the aliens that were watching him with twin looks of confusion and concern. He offered the best reassuring smile he could muster and gingerly pulled from the wing, finding his balance. "Thank you," he said simply, not sure how well it would be understood. All the same, Gabriel gave a nod. With that, Chrys hurried down the hall. They had to move. If they were lucky, they could stop it...if not, then they'd save as many as they could.

Changing was quick; he was well used to doing so with a moment's notice. He put in his ear piece after his suit was in place, turning it on and hearing Moon Queen already speaking to them.

"--minutes until any trains reach Mucipro station, but Argent, you guys are half an hour out, even at your fastest," she was saying.

"I'm online, how many minutes?"

"Four."

"Fuck," Chrys cursed, stalking back to the living area. Argent was waiting, pressing the panel that opened the skylight for them.

"There's no one closer, is there? No other healers closer?" Argent was saying, looking Chrys over in concern.

"I'm fine, Argent. I can handle this," Chrys spoke sternly, not bothering to waste another moment and launching into the air.

"Dammit, Chrys, you just woke from an almost three day nap!" he heard snapped in his ear.

"Yeah...about that guys, what exactly happened? You went radio-silent, and I've got satellite images of some weird space craft, but there's just a blackened field there now."

"Aliens, Queenie. Actual aliens. Can you believe that? And Chrys about killed himself having to heal them!" Argent spoke.

Moon Queen was silent for several long moments. "Wow. Wait, did you two just leave aliens back at Tower?"

"Uh..." Argent began, and Chrys looked back. Argent wasn't far behind him...and neither were the angels.

"...Looks like we didn't. Crap," Chrys supplied. Argent blinked, looking back and frowning.

"Oh, this is lovely."

"Moon Queen, any chance you can disable electronics around the station for us? They uh...they kinda look like classical depictions of angels, and--"

"And the world will go absolutely nuts. I'll do what I can, but I really don't like the idea of leaving someone without a way to call for help...."

"We'll deal with whatever fallout comes, then. Don't worry about it. Lives are more important," Chrys said.

"Mm," Argent let out in agreement.

They fell silent then, pushing themselves for speed, as much as they could. It was a different kind of energy they used to vault through the air...one that seemed to have a limit in regards to speed. Chrys found himself glancing back to Gabriel and Castiel a couple of times, but they seemed to be keeping pace fairly well...Gabriel moreso than Castiel. Chrys was tempted to have Argent turn back and take them back to Tower, but honestly? Honestly...Chrys wasn't stupid. He was awake, yeah...but he was not fully recovered from healing the angels. He didn't know how many people he'd have to heal from this accident, but he doubted consciousness would stay with him when it was all said and done.

"Hey guys, I got ahold of Meadow, she's en route," Moon Queen supplied about ten minutes later. Meadow, another healer...good. If he couldn't withstand healing everyone, there'd be someone to pick up his slack.

"How far out is she?" Argent asked before Chrys could.

"An hour. Sorry, guys, but she's the best I could do."

"It's more than enough, Moon Queen. I'll do what I can, and if there's any slack, she'll be able to pick it up behind me," Chrys spoke, voicing his thoughts.

They reached the site not much longer after that, smoke and cries for help filling the air. Argent paused, hovering and taking in the devastation with a soft swear. Chrys didn't wait, he'd already seen it. He dived down, landing swiftly, starting to climb through the fire, hardening his cells against it. He set to work, healing small injuries as he made his way into the heart of the destruction, trusting his brother to be close behind to escort survivors out.

Mangled seats, metal stained in blood, bodies crushed beneath it all...he'd seen worse, but it didn't make him any less sick to his stomach.

"Hey...hey, look at me," he spoke as he crouched in front of a woman who was sobbing. There was blood all around her, down her legs. Her eyes met his and he gave a soft smile. He raised his hands between them, feeling out. She'd obviously been tossed about in the crash, had managed to survive it...but her swollen belly that she was holding was quiet. "I'm going to do what I can," he promised her quietly.

"Please..." she whimpered through her tears.

Chrys allowed his eyes to leave her, staring at her belly. No amount of staring would actually help...this was all feelings and sensations. But it was something primitive in his brain that had him staring at it as he sought out a flicker, a glimmer, anything that signified there was still hope for the life inside. He became aware of a line of heat to his side, his brother's leg against his arm as he silently lent support.

He almost withdrew, almost told her that there was no hope...when he felt it. Smaller than any life he'd ever felt. It was almost gone. ...This one was going to drain worse than...than Mexico. But he couldn't just let it go, would never do that when there was hope. He moved his hands forward, onto the woman's dress covered bump, pouring his energy and will into her. He felt her shudder under the touch, but Argent was telling her not to move, not to pull away. Good, he couldn't spare the concentration to voice it himself.

He cradled the flicker with a good bit of energy, keeping it tethered, keeping it from fading further. It was young, not old, but that didn't mean much for holding onto it. The rest of his energy flooded into rebuilding all the damage, all the wrongness, so life could be held again, so it could continue to grow. He found himself slumping into his brother's leg as he worked.

It took several minutes of work, but he finally pulled away, looking up into the young woman's eyes. "She'll be alright now," he assured quietly, moving to push himself up. He swayed and Argent gripped his elbow. Chrys looked at him and gave a wan smile. "'m alright. Get her out of here. I can take a few more," he lied. He would...but he'd drop soon after.

Argent's frown showed he knew that, but he helped the woman from the train. Chrys barely heard her reverent words of thanks, his eyes already looking for someone else he could help, stepping further into the wreckage.

\---

Gabriel frowned, staring into the mess of metal as Argent came and went, pulling more and more people out. People that had blood on them, but were clear of injury. Chrys was in there, healing them. His wings twitched in concern. Chrys couldn't...couldn't kill himself doing that, could he? He'd felt Chrys' exhaustion when he'd healed Gabriel. How far could he go, would he go?

" ** _Brother_**..." Castiel spoke, moving closer to him.

Gabriel blinked, finally pulling his eyes from the wreckage. And he easily found the reason of that strange tone he'd had just now. The humans were all gaping at them in open awe. He frowned, looking around. Argent and Chrys hadn't looked at them like that...why were they? He found himself pulling his wings tight to his back, and he was certain by the way many of them tracked the movement, that was exactly why they were being eyed so much.

His eyes came back to the wreckage as Argent pulled a crying woman with a round belly out.

"Argent?" he called out. The masked man--and Gabriel saw that all these other humans didn't have masks--halted and looked over at him with a frown. Then he looked around at the crowd that was getting too close to he and Cassie for comfort. He barked out something to them, something Gabriel had no clue on, and most of them stilled. Most, not all. Cassie was sidling around him, wings tight to his back, trying to avoid being touched.

" ** _We should probably take to the air, Gabriel. I...I don't think all of them can fly,_** " Cassie said uneasily.

Gabriel's eyes went to the wreckage again, where Chrys still had not come out. " ** _Go ahead, Cassie. I'll be alright_**."

" ** _Brother_**..."

" ** _I...I'm just worried, okay? You didn't feel how tired healing my wings made him. I can't imagine how tired he's going to be_** \--"

Gabriel was cut off by a small explosion. It made several people scream, most starting to run. Argent, though, was yelling for Chrys and going back into the wreckage.

The fact that there was fire still raging barely crossed his mind as he followed him in.


	8. Chapter 8

His eyes fluttered open, and he was aware. There was a soul-deep ache, that spread through his bones, through his organs, and he wondered if he'd finally managed to push so far that he'd lost his abilities. He'd heard of it happening to other heroes throughout history. Was it finally gone for him? Chrys was almost afraid to try and reach into himself to pull that familiar energy forth.

"Awake," he heard quietly from next to himself. Almost bonelessly turning his head, he saw Gabriel leaning against the wall, Argent asleep on a chair between them.

"Yes," he responded quietly.

"Stupid," Gabriel accused flatly.

Chrys couldn't help but a breath of a laugh. "Argent would agree. ...How long?" he spoke, not sure how much Gabriel understood now.

Gabriel frowned, his gaze going up. He seemed to be mulling over words. "Two..."

"Two days?"

Gabriel shook his head. "W-we--"

"Weeks?!" Chrys couldn't help but exclaim, pushing himself up into a sitting position all at once. Argent startled awake at that.

"Oh thank fuck!" he barked out, reaching and catching Chrys' shoulders. "You fucking idiot, you scared the absolute shit outta me!"

"Was I really out for two weeks?" He knew Argent was upset and worried, but all he could feel was his shock. He'd never been out more than five days before.

"Yeah. Yeah, dude, you were. Meadow's been by a few times, but she said we just had to wait, that she couldn't speed anything along for you."

Chrys frowned, then slowly reached down inside. When the glow flickered around his hands, he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Damn, man...I was thinking you'd burnt out after that."

"Thank God I didn't."

"Maybe it'd've been better if you did," Argent said nonchalantly.

Chrys scowled at him, and Argent raised his hands defensively. "Just saying, man...you worry me. Your power...it doesn't seem to end, and I'm scared one of these days...."

"Death," Gabriel's voice came.

Chrys and Argent both looked at him. The angel wore a concerned, grim expression.

"...Yeah, pretty much," Argent agreed, looking back at Chrys with worry.

"I haven't--"

"Yet. Dammit, Chrys, what am I supposed to do, when you do?! You push and push, and one of these days, it's going to be too much!"

Chrys sighed and shook his head. "Argent...you know what we are, man. We're not just heroes...we're hope. I can't just...let someone's hope be crushed when I can do something about it."

"Stupid!" Gabriel snapped out. The brothers looked at him again, and Chrys found himself almost flinching under the display of raised wings and furious molten eyes. "You die, hope goes with! No point!"

"The angel has spoken," Argent said with a smirk.

Chrys shot him a glare. "He's an alien, not a messenger of God."

"Close enough."

"...Get me a damned shake already," Chrys clipped out.

"Of course, Mr. Hope."

Chrys flipped him off as he walked off. Then he turned his attention back to Gabriel. His wings were settling, but he looked no less furious. "...You've learned a lot while I was out. ...Are you and Castiel doing okay?"

Gabriel made a noncommittal noise and gave a short nod.

"...You said you're brothers...but you two don't look alike. Why not?"

Gabriel's mouth opened, then shut, a frown of consternation crossing his features. So he didn't have the words to explain that yet. "Okay, okay, well...what about your wings? Castiel has two, but you have six. Can you explain that?"

The frown deepened and he shook his head. "No same."

Chrys didn't quite understand what that meant, but it could be revisited later.

"...Where is Castiel?" he asked, glancing toward the doorway.

"Books!"

Chrys couldn't help but smile a bit at the way Gabriel had almost chirped out the word, like he was proud of his brother for picking up on written language here.

"And is Argent giving you different foods?"

Gabriel scowled. "No."

Chrys huffed and shook his head, looking up as his brother came back in with one of his shakes. "Dude...you gotta give them a variety in their diet."

"We don't know what will kill them!"

"Well, I'm awake now, so--"

"Fuck that. You're not healing shit for another week, at least. You can't tell me you're not still sore in there."

Chrys' jaw clicked shut, and he knew he was glaring, but he couldn't care. "It's not a push--"

"Don't care."

"Dammit, Argent, quit coddling me!"

"Quit trying to drive yourself into an early grave!"

"It's just minor--"

"Minor healing or not, you need to rest!"

Chrys let out a frustrated noise, but he surrendered. Because he knew his brother was right. He did need more time to recuperate. Still, he decided that it should've been his decision to make in the first place, and that he hated being pushed to comply. And thus, he took to ignoring his brother, and focusing on downing his shake.

Argent huffed, able to read Chrys' dismissal, and stormed from the room.

It was quiet for several long moments as Chrys stared at the wall, drinking his shake. And then the bed was dipping next to him. His eyes shot over to Gabriel, curious. Gabriel was looking at him with an equal amount of curiosity.

"What is it?" Chrys asked, pausing in drinking his shake.

"...Worry. Argent, Castiel...all worry. Relief, you awake," Gabriel said quietly.

Chrys blinked. He...had worried the aliens? Argent, he always worried, but these two beings that had landed on their planet had been worried? Chrys frowned. "Sorry. ...I'm sorry. I just...I had to help, I...I _had_ to. Can you understand?"

Gabriel's eyes danced away, dark with something that Chrys couldn't read, and that probably couldn't be communicated just yet. "...Understand," Gabriel said quietly.

"Gabriel?" Chrys spoke. He waited until Gabriel's eyes came back to his. "Whatever it is...Argent and I will help."

Gabriel's wings fluffed a bit, his gaze darting this way and that, before coming back to Chrys' eyes. "...Careful," he spoke. A warning? A well-wish? No matter, Chrys had meant it. It was just what Argent and Chrys did; Saving People.


	9. Chapter 9

Argent didn't come back as Chrys finished up his shake, but Gabriel stuck around, seeming to be lost in his own thoughts. Probably on whatever had brought the two angels here, if Chrys had to guess. ...His expression wasn't a good one. If Chrys had to categorize it, he'd say it was haunted, with a vague sense of despair to it as well.

Chrys was just going to have to wait to get the full story, though. And in the meantime...he wanted to know what had happened with the trains. So, done with his shake, he set the glass to the side to clean up later and got out of bed.

He wasn't surprised to find Gabriel following after him...after all, why would the angel stay in his empty room? But as he paused outside the bathroom door, it was more than amusing to see the angel frowning, as if finally realizing that Chrys hadn't been out of his bed in two weeks. Gabriel's eyes darted from him, to the bathroom, then back, confusion clear.

Chrys couldn't help but chuckle. "When uh...when I use too much energy...my body goes dormant. Uh...sleeps. Most of the major functions are pushed back while my energy recovers. Once I'm well enough...they're switched back on," he spoke, trying to explain.

Gabriel's head tilted to the side, gaze full of ponderous curiosity. He looked like he vaguely understood, and that was confirmed with a small nod a moment later. With that, Chrys went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind himself, and took to relieving his body.

When he came back out, he was actually a little surprised that Gabriel wasn't there. But then again, wouldn't it be weird for him to stand and wait outside the bathroom?

Shaking his head slightly, he headed out toward the living area, only pausing to grab his empty shake glass. He spotted Gabriel and Castiel at the table, books spread between them. Castiel had most of them, but it seemed Gabriel had snagged one as well. As he walked past, Castiel looked up and gave a warm smile. "Hello, Chrys," he greeted. Before Chrys could return the greeting, Castiel was frowning. "Glad...awake," he spoke, seeming to frown at his own lack of vocabulary.

"Hi, Castiel. And thank you," Chrys spoke, giving his own smile. After that, he got his glass into the dishwasher and moved to join his brother by the sofas. When he dropped into an adjacent seat, Argent shot him a look that said he still wasn't pleased with him. Chrys sighed, but brushed it off. "So, what happened? Last I remember, I was helping an older man to his feet...then nothing."

Argent frowned, eyes dancing to the TV as he turned the volume down to a bare whisper. "...Sorry, man, but that guy didn't make it. There was a second explosion. You must've registered it enough to kick in your hardened state, but it still knocked you out. When we found you, you were under a pile of burning wreckage."

"We? Did Meadow show up?"

"Yeah...after. She had to heal a couple of burns on your face. Nah, the we was Gabe and I. He followed after me when I came to find you. Good thing he did, too. If he hadn't...you and I wouldn't be sitting here," Argent spoke. Chrys frowned at him, but waited for an explanation. "The top of the train tried to collapse on us while I was pulling you out from under it all. Those wings of his are really fucking strong, man...they held it all up until I could get you out."

At that, Chrys twisted in his seat, trying to get a look at Gabriel's wings. They didn't look damaged from where he was sitting. In fact, they looked better than last time he'd really allowed himself a glance; there were almost fully-grown feathers on the outside of his wings now, where they'd been burnt away previously.

"He didn't really get hurt much from it...and what little he did, Meadow managed to heal," Argent said. "...She was put off by it, though. Said she heals differently than you do? That she could only assume to treat it like a bird's wings."

"Mm," Chrys let out with a frown, turning back around. He made a note to look over Gabriel's wings when Argent had his back turned. He wanted to make sure he was alright.

"Oh, by the way...Carnal's dead."

Chrys' eyes snapped up. "Wait, what? How??"

"Well, when we came out of the wreckage, he was there. Had Cas pinned to the ground. Gabriel looked like he was about to step in, but then...dude, Cas pulled a weird looking knife out of _thin fucking air_ , and shanked the motherfucker right in the gut."

"...That seems extreme. I mean, I've barely been able to interact with them, but...I don't know, that just seems out of the ordinary."

"Maybe it's because Carnal was trying to get at his wings? I mean, I didn't hear much of what the bastard was spewing, but it sounded like he wanted to cut them off and keep 'em."

"Castiel wouldn't have been able to understand that, not at that point. So...maybe the wings are something...more than just appendages to them," Chrys spoke, casting a curious glance over his shoulder. Gabriel and Castiel were still seated at the table, not paying any heed to the conversation between himself and Argent. "...Until we figure that out, we should probably avoid touching them," he added, before his mind flashed back to feeling strong muscle and soft feathers under him. Gabriel had held him up with one, after his vision of the trains. ...Had used them to keep Argent and himself from harm, as his brother had told him. Chrys was more than a little curious at all of this.

"Mm...they're pretty good at keeping their wings to themselves, when they're not tangled up in bed, so shouldn't be an issue."

"Tangled up in bed?"

"They freaking cuddle all the time, once they start getting sleepy. It's weird."

"Must be an instinctual thing...or maybe they're just relying on each other in this new world or something. Who knows?" Chrys pondered. "...You said Cas pulled a knife out of air? I mean, I guess it would make sense that they have powers, but...what's the extent, I wonder?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that, too. I mean, remember when we found them? Gabriel's wings, man...they just...they got huge!"

"Mm, I'd almost forgotten about that. You know, I know it's been over two weeks since then, but...I've been asleep for most of it. It barely feels like more than a couple of days ago since then."

Something passed over Argent's face, and then he sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, I know S...Chrys. It's part of why I'm always telling you to take it easy. Life is freaking passing you by! You're not really living it," he spoke, his tone pleading with Chrys to understand.

Chrys opened his mouth, then shut it quickly. ...Argent was right. He hated it, but Argent was right. "...I can't...I can't promise, Dean," he spoke, wincing slightly at the slip. He frowned and pressed on. "I can't promise, but...I will try, okay?"

"'S'all I'm asking for. Thank you, Sammy," Argent replied.


	10. Chapter 10

" ** _Their knowledge of wormholes is really limited. I mean, there's nothing here on the dangers of subspace paradoxes_**!" Gabriel lamented after an hour of reading.

" ** _Maybe it'll show in another book. Their chemistry is decent, though there's some elements missing from their periodic table_** ," Cassie spoke, moving the book he held so that Gabriel could see it. Gabriel let out a hum of acknowledgement as his eyes scanned over the large image on the page.

"Where'd you guys get these books from, anyway?" Chrys spoke, as he approached the table, looking over the spread on it.

"Argent," Castiel supplied.

Chrys raised his eyebrows and looked at his brother, who was passing them and heading into the kitchen. "You went out and bought advanced text books for the aliens to try and decipher?"

"Don't look at me, dude! I got sick of the TV being stuck on the Discovery Channel twenty four-seven. And...ya know, I figured, they needed to learn how to read, too. Not sure how much good it's doing, but..."

"Not easy," Gabriel supplied with a shrug, looking back at the book in front of him.

Chrys sighed at that and took a seat at the end of the table. "...Do you guys have questions? I'll answer what I can," he offered.

Gabriel looked at him, then over to Cassie, who was frowning in thought. Finally, his little brother questioned, "How...fly without wings?"

Chrys blinked a couple of times, then nodded as he seemed to gather his thoughts. "Okay, first, I'm going to correct your question, so you learn how to speak properly, alright? How do you fly without wings?" he spoke. Cassie mouthed the words to himself, and Chrys moved on. "And that is not an easy question to answer. It's something that not even we humans really understand fully. It has to do with energy inside of us, and being able to access it. Not everyone that can access that energy can fly...but Argent and I are fortunate enough to be some of those that can. Beyond that, it seems to be an exertion of will power. We literally will our bodies up and around, to get where we need to go."

"Energy... ** _do you think they're talking about grace_**?"

" ** _No...no, what I felt from him a couple of weeks ago...it was strong, yeah, but it wasn't grace,_** " Gabriel said with a faint frown.

" ** _You spoke in their language when you did that. And he in ours. Maybe_** \--"

" ** _Absolutely not. You told me what happened during that, about the lights, and how I was freaking starting to glow! I don't know what that was, and we don't know what it'll do...so no, I'm not doing it again_** ," Gabriel spoke, his tone a touch harsh. He took that tone more at himself than at Cassie...because he wanted to do it again, to reach out and touch Chrys' 'energy.' It'd felt decidedly good. But he didn't know what would happen if he did.

The smells of cooking food started to waft from the kitchen, and Gabriel looked up to see Chrys watching them with a patient and somewhat humored expression. He knew the human didn't understand them, but was probably thinking they were sorting out the information he'd provided. Which was a little true, so let him think that.

"What energy?" Gabriel fielded.

At that, Chrys frowned again. "What is energy?" he corrected. "There's many theories as to what exactly the energy is. The only agreed upon thing is that it's in all humans, and that only those gifted with a higher access to their brains can manipulate and manifest it. Getting too much further into it usually winds up going down a road to religions, instead of science," he said.

That was a new word.

"Religions?" Gabriel fielded.

Chrys heaved a sigh, like he was approaching a weary subject. "Uhm...creation, life, the source of it, is given different names in different theologies, or studies of religion. ...Shit, I'm not explaining this well. Argent? Any clue on how to explain religions?" he called.

"We're going to explain God to the angels now?" Argent called back, causing Chrys to scowl in his direction.

"Quit being a jerk!"

"Yeah, yeah. Look, I have no idea on that. Maybe start with the bible? Move from there?"

Chrys was still frowning, but it was in thought now. "Mm...maybe," he hedged.

Though he and Cassie were understanding but a handful of words, they still looked expectantly at Chrys as he rose from his seat. He disappeared down the hallway with a quiet shuffle, and while he was gone, Argent put new food in front of them.

It smelled good...but it looked weird, and Gabriel started picking it apart.

" ** _Bread of some sort_**..." Cassie spoke, following Gabriel's example and lifting the top piece of the thing.

" ** _So like a sandwich_**?"

" ** _It makes sense_**."

Gabriel lifted the red round sliced thing and tilted his head at it, sniffing. It didn't smell bad...and it kind of reminded him of the red watery sweet fruits that Argent usually put on a tray for them. So he took a bite. And quickly spit it back out.

"Uhg!" he let out. He heard a snicker and turned a glare on to Argent.

Chrys came back into the room, holding a worn-looking book. "I take it you don't like tomatoes, Gabriel?" he spoke.

Gabriel turned to look at him and shook his head. "No," he answered simply, dropping it to the side.

Cassie suddenly let out a moan and Gabriel blinked, looking over. His little brother was eating the weird sandwich, tomato and all.

" ** _These make me very happy_** ," he said.

"... ** _We can all tell, little brother. Tell me, are you propositioning the burger, or the man that made them_**?" Gabriel asked slyly, seeing the coy curl to the edge of his brother's wings.

Cassie blinked and flushed bright red, snapping his wings to his back.

Chrys chuckled and shook his head. "Argent's burgers are some of the best around," he said, praising his brother.

Argent grinned proudly. "Don't you know it!" he crowed. To this, Chrys rolled his eyes.

Dubious, Gabriel put the sandwich back together, leaving the tomato off, and picked it up. He eyed it warily, as though it were about to try to eat him, then went ahead and took a bite.

His wings twitched in pleased surprise. "Good!" he said around his mouthful, looking at Argent.

"...Dude, are you the one teaching him table manners?" Chrys fussed.

Argent, still looking like a preening fledgling (sans wings), just rolled his eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

The orange light went off. It'd happened a few times, while Chrys had been unconscious, and each time, Argent had changed into his leathers and left through the opening in the roof. This time, though, Chrys was making to leave with him. It was sparking an argument and Gabriel's wings twitched in agitation.

"I told you--"

"I'm good for more than just healing!"

"Yeah, you are, but you're still recovering!"

"Dammit, Argent, just--"

"For fuck's sake, no!"

"There isn't time for this! I'm going!"

"No," Gabriel spoke up. Cassie looked up when Gabriel spoke, tilting his head. "No. Stay. I go," Gabriel offered.

Chrys' mouth opened, then clicked shut, and he looked to be considering it. It actually surprised Gabriel a little bit.

It was Argent that protested. "Oh, hell no! I can't babysit you while I'm trying to fight off--"

Gabriel stood, wings arching high, and he manifested his blade. "I go," he insisted.

"Argent...let him go with you. You'll have back up, and be able to get a better look at their abilities," Chrys spoke quietly.

Argent made a wild, disbelieving noise, but the orange light continued to flash insistently, so he threw his hands up. "FINE! Your fault if the alien dies, S...Chrys!" he called, storming off to change. "And for God's sake, make him put on a shirt!"

At that, Chrys' gaze dropped to Gabriel's chest, and something flickered over his face that Gabriel couldn't quite read. How he wished Chrys had wings so he could understand what it was the other was thinking....

" ** _I'm going as well_** ," Cassie spoke.

Gabriel looked over at him and shook his head. " ** _Not this time. Stay and make sure Chrys doesn't try and follow. I get the feeling he will, if left alone_** ," he told him.

Cassie frowned, looking put out, but nodded slowly. " ** _Alright_** ," he acquiesced.

Chrys moved as they spoke and shut off the light, before moving to a small closet that Gabriel had explored during their first week. It held strange thick black vests, and he watched the human pull one out. Chrys then walked over to him. "This is hardly perfect, but it'll have to do," he said, unbuckling clips on the sides of the vest and then sliding it over Gabriel's head. It went over easily, and Chrys rebuckled the sides underneath his wings. Gabriel flexed the appendages, frowning. It wasn't comfortable...but he had a feeling that any protest against wearing the strange heavy garment would result in him having to stay.

When Gabriel met Chrys' gaze, the human spoke. "Be careful, but...take care of my brother too, okay?"

Gabriel blinked, then gave a short nod, hand tightening around his blade a bit. Chrys was trusting him with this, with his brother, and it felt more important to Gabriel than it probably actually was.

Argent swept back into the room, shooting a glare at Chrys, then at Gabriel, before he pressed the panel that opened the panel in the ceiling. "Let's move," he grunted, before flying up.

Gabriel followed swiftly, wondering how Argent knew where to go. It was brushed aside after a moment as his wings stretched and he savored the freeing feeling. He and Cassie hadn't left the building since Chrys had been out last, and it felt amazing to fly again after so long.

It wasn't too much longer before Argent was diving down, however, and Gabriel pivoted in the air, looping down after him.

There were vehicles in front of a large building below them as they dove, and Argent landed on the side of the cars opposite the building. Gabriel alighted next to him, and the two drew the attention of the people that had weapons trained on the building. Gabriel frowned at them, wondering if they were the threat that Argent was here to confront.

"Argent," a man spoke, stepping forward. Gabriel's wings twitched as he looked the man over, but he kept himself from dropping into an attack. He would follow Argent's lead. "Who's your friend?" the man continued, eyes moving to Gabriel. "And where's Chrysalis?"

"This is...a newbie. Don't mind him, doesn't speak much English. And Chrys is still recovering from those trains a couple of weeks ago," Argent supplied, turning to eye the building. "What we got?"

The man eyed Gabriel for a second longer before looking at the building.

"Bank robbery gone sideways. Got a guard down, not sure how bad he is. We count sixteen hostages, including the tellers. ...Argent, one of 'ems got a dead man switch."

"Shit," the masked man cursed. He was contemplative for a moment, then tilted his head before looking back at Gabriel. "...Chrys is gonna kill me," he muttered before sighing. He then looked at the man that had been speaking to him. "Alright, we got this. Don't freak out if you hear an explosion," he spoke, casting a glance at Gabriel again. He then jerked his head forward toward the building, signaling Gabriel to follow him.

As Gabriel followed, he watched as Argent's hands started glowing. The human flexed them a bit as the glow moved over his body. Once it was completely covering him, his skin suddenly took on a silver metallic sheen. Gabriel tilted his head, curious, but then looked back at the building as Argent walked up the steps and yanked open the door. The glass of the door shattered as he did so, and he stepped in to a chorus of yells and whimpers of terror.

Argent raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Easy, easy! We're here to talk. No need to do anything hasty," he called out. Gabriel followed him in and frowned, wings twitching in agitation. There were humans kneeling on the ground, with other humans holding what was obviously weapons to their heads. One of them was a _child_! Gabriel wanted to attack, seeing this, but he withheld; Argent was the experienced one here. He'd follow the human's lead.

"Yeah, okay, hero. How about we talk, and you listen?" One of the standing men called. He was wearing a strange vest that was oddly bulky in places, his hand holding tight to something in his hand. Gabriel frowned, a bad feeling curling in his gut and through his grace. "We want out of here, free and clear, and you're going to help us, or I'm letting go of this trigger and taking every last one of us out," the man commanded.

Argent turned his head and Gabriel met his gaze. Argent then shot a pointed look at his wings, before looking back over at the man that had spoken. "Yeah, okay," Argent began, and Gabriel's eyes widened slightly before he quickly hid it. He understood what Argent was getting at, looking at his wings like that. ...And he didn't like it, but looking back at the hostages, at the crying little girl with the muzzle of a weapon pressed to the side of her head, he knew he had to. Now he just had to get close enough to the one with the strange thing on his chest. "But you gotta give us some good faith here. Let some of these people go, and we'll work on getting you out," Argent was saying.

"Like hell! You get us out, or you get chunks and smears on the floor!" the man barked out.

"Come on, man, you gotta give me so--"

"I said no!" the man said, raising the device in his hand higher in threat.

Argent grimaced, then gave a nod. "Alright. Alright, I'm going to step out and see about getting a chopper on the roof for the five of you, alright?"

"That's more like it," the man growled.

Argent turned around and met Gabriel's eyes again. _Now_.

They both moved, Argent twisting through the air and spinning toward one of the men with weapons. Gabriel flew with all the speed he could manage, yanking painfully at his grace and forcing it into his body and wings. He landed in front of the man and quickly wrapped his wings around the both of them. The man startled and then scowled, a mixture of fear and determination in his eyes as he dropped the device in his hand.

Gabriel grunted under the force of the explosion, containing it under his wings. In all, though, it wasn't nearly as bad as the one from his vessel had been. He was going to lose feathers, but that was about it. What disturbed him more, as the fire and smoke subsided, was the chunks of human stuck in his wings. He felt a little ill as he uncurled, trying to shake it out. He then took in the room. The other four assailants were unconscious on the ground, and Argent was directing people out.

Giving one more hard shake of his wings and dislodging the worst of the gore, he made his way over to Argent. Argent looked up as he approached, looking a good bit relieved. "Ya alright, man?" he asked, looking over him over. He grimaced at the blood still clinging to Gabriel's face and wings.

"...Alright," Gabriel echoed with a slight shrug, eyes softening as he spotted the little girl being escorted by her mother from the building.

"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in that position, but without Chrys...there was just no good way out of this," Argent said quietly.

Gabriel looked at Argent with a faint frown. "No. Shouldn't. But understand," he replied, nodding toward where the last of the humans were walking out.

Argent nodded, his glow finally fading and his skin returning to a normal shade. "Yeah...thanks, man," he said, clapping a hand on Gabriel's shoulder. He then pulled it away with a grimace, glancing at the blood-covered palm. "Uhg...let's get you home and cleaned up," he said.


	12. Chapter 12

To say he was pissed wouldn't cut it. Livid wouldn't do, either. Incensed...maybe close. It was much closer to a burning rage.

Argent and Gabriel had come back, and Gabriel was _covered_ in blood. And some tiny chunks he hadn't managed to lose.

Castiel had launched from his seat when they landed, starting to bark out the alien language, worry evident in his tone. Gabriel had silenced him with a few calm words, then silently padded off down the hall.

Chrys watched him go, then turned to Argent. "You want to tell me what happened, exactly?" he asked, voice much more calm than the worry and building anger in him.

Argent had shrugged. "Bank robbery with a dead man switch. Your angel pal managed to contain the blast," he said.

Chrys' anger flared and burned bright and hot inside his chest. He nearly punched Argent right then and there. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Then he opened his eyes and fixed his brother with a glare. "And you didn't stop to think about what that might do to him? Not just physically, but psychologically? When I told you to take him with you, I didn't think you'd treat him like a seasoned war vet," he hissed out.

"He's f--"

"So help me, if you say fine, I'm going to kick your ass! We don't know what kind of trauma that'll put him under, Argent! We don't know anything about their culture or society, and therefore, we can't predict how this could affect them!"

"Chrys. Calm down, alright? Look, Cas killed Carnal with hardly a blink. Gabriel, he responded to all my cues. They've had training. They know what they're doing and how to handle it. I know I shouldn't have put him in that position, but there wasn't much of a choice. If those guys went in there with a dead man switch, then it was going to turn bloody no matter what. We did what we had to, to ensure minimal casualty. And because of him, because of Gabriel? There was nothing more than an injured security guard, and that was before we even arrived on scene," Argent spoke in a gentle, placating tone.

Chrysalis knew he was right. He knew it, but...it didn't ease the flickers of wrath burning under his skin. He drew back, trying to sort out his emotions. Why was he so angry about this? Yes, he admitted he should be angry, despite Argent's logical argument, but not this angry. He shook his head, trying to analyze what was going through his head and heart. Realizing after a few seconds that the analysis was going to take more than just a few moments, he huffed. "I need to think," he muttered, storming off down the hall to head for the gym, and one of the punching bags.

It took about half an hour of hitting the bag for him to start to settle down enough to start mulling over his roiling emotions. And he realized...he was afraid. He was afraid, specifically, for Gabriel. That had him stilling for a moment before he scowled and took up hitting the bag once again.

Why was he afraid for the angel-alien?

He considered for a moment that he was concerned over both of them--which was true--but he was more concerned over Gabriel. Why?

His lips pulled into a thin line as he scowled at the bag he was punching. He knew why. When Gabriel had touched his energy those two weeks past that seemed barely a blink ago, Chrys had, for the first time in his life, felt a _rightness_. He'd wanted to crawl into the sensation and curl up there forever.

_And_ , his mind supplied, _you're attracted to him. Wings and all, you sick freak._

Sam scowled and hit the bag harder than he meant to, groaning when the chain holding it gave way under too much force. Dammit. Beginning to the process of replacing the chain, he allowed his thoughts to delve into the subject further.

Ultimately, he needed to see if it was something specific to Gabriel that he had experienced, or if it was any given angel. Argent was probably going to murder him, but he'd have to reach out to Castiel and see if they wound up blowing out the lights.

That decided, and the punching bag remounted, he made his way to the living area. He paused in the entryway, looking over the large open space. Argent was in the kitchen, divested of his leather armor and back in jeans, shirt, and a plaid flannel. He was cooking what smelled like tacos.

Castiel was at the table beside the kitchen, to his right, and to the left, Gabriel sat in the living room space on a sofa, a book on his lap, but fingers combing through the feathers of his wings. Chrys' fingers twitched in curiosity, but he kept himself from going over and trying to touch. Instead, he turned to the right and headed over to the dining room area.

Cas looked up, startled from his attempts at reading and understanding human knowledge, when Chrys took a seat beside him. Chrys offered up a smile to try and relax him. "Hey, Castiel. I was wondering if you'd do me a favor?" he asked, keeping his voice low so as not to draw his brother's attention.

Castiel tilted his head, obviously curious, but gave a small nod.

Wordlessly, Chrys raised his hand, pushing his energy into it and making it glow.

Castiel's eyes widened and his wings gave a sharp jerk. His eyes went up to the lights, then over to Argent, and then past Chrys to Gabriel. Finally, his wide eyes came back to Chrys and he frowned, obviously warring with himself between his own curiosity, and the risk involved.

Chrys waited patiently, and soon, Cas' curiosity won out. The alien reached up and gingerly took his hand.

But nothing really happened. There was a faint flicker of something, but nothing like what he'd gotten out of Gabriel. It caused the human and the angel to wear twin expressions of confusion.

"SAM!" Argent barked, startling Chrys into pulling away.

Castiel started looking back and forth between them in confusion as Argent went on, "I told you not to touch them, dammit!"

"It was just an experiment, _Dean_ ," he hissed back, causing an increase in Castiel's confusion.

Gabriel was looking over now, too, apparently trying to figure out what was going on.

"Look, I just wanted to know if it was all aliens that would cause that reaction out of me. And it seems like they have to put forth something, too, in order for it to happen. I don't know, I need to...to study it more," Chrys spoke.

Argent scowled. "No. And don't argue with me on this, dammit! We don't know what it could do to you!"

Chrys sighed and hung his head. He wanted to fight his brother on this, he did. But he was getting so tired of arguing nearly all the time.

"All the more reason to study this, Argent," he said, a hint of weariness in his tone. "Because I might not be the only one affected. Others could be affected too, and not just heroes. Civilians. Think about it."

Argent was quiet long enough for Chrys to look up. He was surprised to see that Argent was actually considering his words. Finally, his brother huffed. "Fine. Fine! But you blow out the lights again, you're the one who's going to replace them all--by yourself!" he huffed, turning to serve up food.

Chrys would take it.

After they'd all eaten, the aliens having been highly intrigued by tacos and seemed to have enjoyed them very much, Chrys cleaned up the kitchen. It was only fair he do dishes after Argent had cooked, especially when he'd skipped out on it the last couple of times.

When he came out of the kitchen, both the aliens were in the living room area, watching the TV. A documentary about manatees was on, and they were both watching with rapt attention. Argent was nowhere to be seen, but was likely working off his meal in the gym room, or he'd slipped off his mask and went out. That wouldn't surprise him...they'd been cooped up in Tower since they came across the angels.

Chrys walked over toward their two guests and eyed Gabriel's wings, frowning. There were feathers missing, and some light burns that he could see. He made his way over and held out his hands to heal. No sooner had he done so, than Gabriel's hand shot up, before he could even draw out his energy, catching his wrist. "No," he said with a frown. "Wait."

"It won't take much...I won't even need to sleep. Just let me--"

"No!" Gabriel refused stubbornly.

Chrys sighed heavily. "Fine. Alright, fine. Well...would you mind helping me with an experiment?" he asked instead, moving to sit on the sofa beside him, turned so that he could face Gabriel.

Gabriel, in turn, moved so that he was facing Chrys as well, bearing an expression of hesitant curiosity.

"I want to see if we can control that...reaction. When we touch," he said, raising one hand and pulling his energy forth.

Gabriel seemed to puzzle the words for a few seconds, before his eyes widened in realization and he shook his head. "No."

Chrys frowned. "Please. We need to know, in case it happens with someone else," he said.

Gabriel scowled at Chrys' hand, his eyes slowly meeting the human's.

Castiel said something from Chrys' left, and Gabriel responded in turn. Chrys waited, ever patient.

Finally, Gabriel reached up and carefully took Chrys' hand. For a second, nothing happened at all. And then he felt it. That sense of _rightness_. He felt his own shoulders slump in relief at the sensation, however tentative that sensation was.

And then their hands were being pulled apart, and Chrys barely withheld a whimper at that loss, his gaze snapping up to Castiel. The angel was looking up at the lights, though, and Chrys could guess they'd been flickering.

He let out a heavy sigh. "...Well, I guess we'll just have to be careful on who you touch," he said, turning to look at Gabriel.

Gabriel was frowning unhappily, but he nodded all the same, pulling his hand away from Cas and turning back to the TV.

After a moment, Chrys stood and headed to the kitchen, deciding the aliens needed a treat for their show. Toffee popcorn would be good, he thought.


	13. Chapter 13

Days passed, with Gabriel and Cassie learning more of the humans' language, and trying more and more of their food. Argent was the one that cooked the most, but so far it'd been Chrys that'd made his favorite savory thing. "Lasagna," he'd called it. As for his favorite sweet thing, that was easily pie. Currently, anyway. He'd seen something on a cooking channel on the TV called cake, and he was hoping Argent or Chrys would make one soon.

Something that Gabriel had become quite happy about in this time, was that Chrys had fixed some shirts to fit over and around his wings, with buttons to fasten them in place. He had to get Cassie to help him put them on, because he couldn't quite reach all the buttons, but it worked.

This morning, when he walked out into the main room of what the brothers called Tower, he saw Cassie sitting at the table, frowning at a book. "Hey bro, fasten this damned thing for me?" he spoke, walking over with the shirt hanging over his shoulders. They'd both switched to actively using the human language to try and learn the finer nuances. Chrys rarely corrected them anymore at this point.

Cassie looked up as Gabriel turned his back, and started fastening the buttons. "I'm studying human biology. It's quite fascinating."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. They didn't look all that much different from them. "Yeah? How so?"

"Well, for one thing, only females bear children," his little brother supplied.

Gabriel's wings twitched in surprise. " ** _What_**?" he spoke. He then shook his head. "What?" he tried again.

"Mm. And their reproductive cycle is...unusual," Cassie continued, finishing the last of the buttons. Gabriel moved to take a seat across the table, wanting to hear more. "The women have something called a menses. Their uterus sheds tissue monthly. ...I'm curious as to how it...exits, however. This book, it doesn't...explain beyond that."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to ask Chrys," Gabriel said with a shrug. Chrys was the better of the two humans, in patience and terms, at explaining things.

Cassie let out a hum of agreement, looking back at the book.

Gabriel found himself turning to look at the kitchen. ...He really wanted to try and cook. It was an urge that had been crawling under his skin for a few days now. But he was worried about doing something wrong, something damaging. Chrys and Argent had made no effort of forcing them to leave, but if he or Cassie damaged their home? He didn't know what would happen.

"Morning, guys," Chrys' voice came, startling Gabriel from his musings.

Before Gabriel could return the greeting, Cassie had turned and was speaking. "Chrys, please explain menses to us."

Chrys halted by the table in a stunned silence, his cheeks starting to redden. Wasn't that an interesting look on him.

"Ah. Hm. Okay," he said, stopping in his path to the kitchen and turning fully toward the table, sitting down in the chair at the end. "I'll do my best. I'm not a woman, so I'm far from an expert. Is there something specific you want to know?"

"This book says the lining is shed from the uterus...where does it go?" Cassie asked unabashedly.

Gabriel watched Chrys shift uncomfortably. "It, uh...come out in the form of what women call a period. The tissue, it um...it breaks down and resembles blood, and exits through the vagina."

Cassie made an intrigued noise, his wings twitching in open curiosity. "How long does this shedding last? What do the women do to--"

"You guys are not talking about periods. Uhg, man," Argent said from the entryway to the hall.

Chrys shot him a glare. "It's obviously a difference in our biology, Argent. If they want to know, I'm not going to dismiss it," he snapped.

Argent rolled his eyes and made for the kitchen. "Whatever. I'm popping open a couple cans of cinnamon rolls," he said.

Chrys shifted around in his seat and sighed. "The period lasts around a week...it depends on the person, really," he answered.

"So how do the women...keep from...having the tissue everywhere?" Cassie spoke carefully.

"There are products made to absorb the flow. Uh...tampons and pads. I don't really know much more than that. Sorry," Chrys said.

Cassie nodded, so Gabriel took up the next question.

"Why is it only women that birth children?"

There was a stillness from Chrys and Argent both at that. Chrys' head whipped around to Gabriel in something akin to alarm. "...Uh..." he spoke.

"Wait, wait...are you telling us...you two can have babies?" Argent spoke, walking from the kitchen area.

"No," Gabriel started, looking at Argent in time to seen a line of tension fade from him. "Cassie can," he finished. Argent's eyebrows shot up and he frowned in confusion.

"But he's a dude."

"That obviously doesn't matter with their species, Argent. ...Does it have something to do with why you have different amounts of wings?" Chrys spoke, drawing Gabriel's attention back to him.

Gabriel pursed his lips, thinking how to explain. "Yes...and no. Our wings are the way nature shows our...status. If there is a word for it in your language, I have not learned it yet. Cassie has a higher status than I do, as one able to further our family," he said, but he fell silent after that, thinking about how that was no longer important here on this alien planet. His brother would never find a mate now, would never have children. Neither of them would. The way Cassie's wings were drawing in told him that his little brother was having the same train of thought. Their gazes met over the table, both of them mourning the future they'd lost.

"That's just weird," Argent muttered.

"Shut up," Chrys hissed out, clearly reading their gazes, and shooting Argent a dirty look. He let silence reign for a moment, then spoke again. "Why are you guys here?"

Cassie broke his gaze, looking at Chrys. "Multiple reasons. Firstly, our planet core was cooling. All efforts to get it back to the proper temperature failed."

"And then we found out the plans to wipe out a another planet's life and take over it instead," Gabriel cut in.

"We brought it to public attention. There was barely any protest."

"It was sentient life. You'd think--"

"Gabriel," Cassie cut in, stopping Gabriel from going off on a tangent. Gabriel huffed out a sigh, looking away. Cassie looked back at Chrys. "When we started pushing the issue, trying to gain support, tried to find another way to heal our planet...we were attacked. We hide--"

"Hid," Chrys corrected.

"Hid," Cassie repeated. "We hid, and we worked...but we ran out of time. The planet was starting to...uhm...slow. Things would...go into space."

"Gravity displacement," Chrys spoke quietly. Cassie nodded.

"We had to go. We took a ship and fled."

"There was a trap. It was too easy, I should've known," Gabriel spoke with a scowl.

"We are alive and well, brother. Do not blame yourself. We are very fortunate," Cassie spoke.

"What are the chances of you guys being followed...?" Argent spoke, exiting the kitchen now.

Gabriel frowned, looking at Cassie in question.

"...We do not know. Likely, they think us dead. The ship would've died in space, had we not dove through a star and been...thrown here," Cassie answered slowly.

"Even if they did think you guys were alive, by now they'd have taken over that other planet, right? So what reason would they have to come after you?" Chrys spoke.

Gabriel cleared his throat. "I...sabotaged the thing that was going to kill the people of the other planet. And warned them..." he said, wings twitching uncomfortably. He'd doomed his own people in doing so, but it was better than the weight of genocide of another people.

Chrys and Argent were quiet for several long moments after that. They then looked at each other, having a silent conversation. They did that often. Finally, Chrys spoke. "I'm sorry. You've lost your home, and your people. But you're welcome here. We'll do what we can to help," he said. And then he reached up and took off his mask. "So I guess it's time to tell you guys that my name isn't really Chrys. It's what I go by when I have the mask on. Same for Argent. I'm Sam, and this is Dean. Welcome to Earth."


	14. Chapter 14

Learning human history and religion was an ongoing task, and they seemed to be tied closely to one another. Christianity was...interesting. Interesting in that it seemed to bear knowledge of angels in some form or another. There were also descriptions of some of their homeworld creatures, and names common on their homeworld as well.

Beyond that, Gabriel hated Christianity. The things that had been done in the name of the religion were abhorrent.

During one of their lessons, learning about crusades, Gabriel stopped Sam. "Are you a Christian?" he asked.

Sam paused, looking at Gabriel, then down at the book he was holding, a faint frown on his lips. "...I was brought up that way. A good many people are. And I do still feel like there's something out there...but no, I wouldn't call myself a Christian any longer," he had answered.

Gabriel had nodded, curious about Sam's thoughts, but allowing him to continue the history lesson.

He and Cassie learned about how heroes--superheroes--hadn't began emerging until after the second world war. The speculation was that nuclear radiation had advanced their genetics and allowed them higher access to their brains, and thus, their energy. Energy that a large part of the world called souls. They learned that a soul was supposedly a person's very being--their sense of self, of right and wrong, the seat of their emotions. And Gabriel found that he agreed with that. That it seemed to make sense with what he'd felt from Sam.

Weeks passed in this manner, with Gabriel and Cassie learning all they could about human cultures and histories, sciences and religions.

And then Cassie hit his cycle.

Gabriel woke up next to him as usual, his nose wrinkling at the smell of excess wing oils. "Cassie?" he muttered as he sat up.

"Sorry..."

"Shh, it's alright. I'll bring you some food later, alright?"

"Thank you, brother," Cassie spoke.

Gabriel silently left the room, frowning at the closed door. He didn't know how long he'd been standing there when he was spooked from his musings.

"Gabe? Everything alright?" Sam's voice came from his right.

Gabriel blinked and looked at Sam. "...Yes," he answered, looking back at the door. "Cassie...he's in the midst of our reproductive cycle. He'll need to be alone for it. It usually lasts about three or four days," he said quietly.

Sam stepped closer and put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder, squeezing gently. Gabriel couldn't help but lean into the touch, feeling as though Sam understood the weight of his thoughts. How his brother would forever be alone for this...how they were possibly the last of their species.

They were both quiet for several long moments, just standing there.

"I'd do something if I could...but I know there's nothing. I'm sorry, Gabriel," Sam finally spoke.

Gabriel looked up at Sam then, seeing true regret and sorrow in the human's eyes. He felt broken under that gaze.

"Sam..." he breathed quietly.

Something else flashed in Sam's eyes...something that had Gabriel's wings starting to curl coyly, laying the undersides more open to the human before him.

Sam's other hand came up, cupping the side of his face as the human leaned down until their foreheads were touching. Slowly, Sam's eyes left his, moving down. To his lips, Gabriel realized. Their breath mingled as they stayed still like that, eyes on each other's lips. But they didn't close the gap.

Sam's hands slid from him and he moved back, shaking his head a bit. "Sorry," he croaked hoarsely, quickly moving around him and down the hall.

Gabriel stood there for a while longer, trying to understand what he was feeling in the wake of that moment.

Sam was...withdrawn after that. He didn't avoid Gabriel, but his eyes didn't seem to linger, either. In fact, they darted away all too quickly. It was frustrating.

Two days later, he'd had enough, and was getting ready to press the issue...when the orange light went off again.

Sam and Dean darted down the hall to get dressed in their leather armors and masks. When they came back, Sam--Chrys, had a grim expression on his lips.

"A craft landed in the clearing you crashed in. Gabriel, I think you were followed after all," he announced quietly.


	15. Chapter 15

Chrys' words struck like ice in his blood, in his grace. He was thankful that Cassie was in the middle of his cycle and couldn't come along for this. He didn't know what was going to be awaiting them, in that clearing...but he didn't want his little brother suffering for it, whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally. He gave a nod, more to himself than the brothers waiting before him, and looked up.

"Let's go."

Argent nodded, moving and shutting off the orange light and opening the skylight. Chrys watched Gabriel for a moment before leading the way out and back toward the clearing, Gabriel and Argent following close behind.

When they were close, Chrys slowed, looking back at him. When they were close enough to speak, they matched pace. "We're following your lead, Gabriel," Chrys said. "These are your people. You know best how to handle this."

Gabriel looked at Chrys and gave a short nod, before looking down as they drew ever closer. There were eight angels in the clearing, spread out a bit and taking in their surroundings. Some had devices already evaluating the environment and Gabriel's wings fluffed in concern. He hovered for a moment, Chrys and Argent drawing up behind him. And then he dove down, landing easily about ten yards from the one giving out orders.

At once, all eyes were on him. Recognition was apparent as many of them flared their wings aggressively.

" ** _We thought you dead, traitor. As you should be for condemning us all!_** " their leader barked out, blade forming in his hand.

Gabriel eyed him, then glanced around as if dismissing him entirely, taking in the aggressive attack stances of the rest of the group.

Apparently dismissing the leader had been a mistake, as the angel made to step forward. One of the brothers, however, put that to a stop. Argent, he believed. There was a concussive sound from behind him, a shockwave rippling through the air, hard enough to force the advancing leader back a few steps.

It was only then that the angels bothered to pay attention to the two humans behind him.

" ** _This planet is not yours. You will leave, and you will not return. These creatures are well able to not only defend themselves, but to defeat any forces you bring with you_** ," Gabriel announced.

" ** _We have a right to make a home here, too_**!" protested a female to his left.

Gabriel leveled her with a cool gaze. " ** _Not at the cost of the ones already here. Leave_** ," he spoke, turning back to the leader.

"Gabriel," Chrys spoke. Argent left the ground from behind him, taking off toward the right. "We've got an issue."

Keeping his eyes on the leader, Gabriel turned his head enough to have Chrys in his periphery. He was looking off in the direction that Argent had gone. "Villian?" he questioned.

"More than one, feels like. Can't say how many for sure. Moon Queen's trying to send back up."

Gabriel grimaced.

" ** _Enough of this babble! Nariel, send up a beacon_**!" the leader ordered. A two winged angel to the left of the leader nodded and turned to head back into the ship.

Gabriel barely had to make a gesture before Chrys was across the clearing, past the angels, and easily pinning the one named Nariel easily, the angel on the ground on his stomach and a wing being twisted under one of Chrys' hands.

The angels all startled at the quick movement, as well as the pained cry the pinned angel let out.

" ** _Stand down, all of you. He'll break the wing, heal it, and break it all over again_** ," Gabriel warned.

The leader made to move toward Chrys anyway, and Chrys' gaze snapped toward him, teeth bared in a feral show as he twisted the wing in his hand more.

" ** _He's one of the good ones here. There's others on their way, ones that won't hesitate to break wings and worse. I won't repeat myself again_** ," Gabriel called out.

The other angels were staring warily, wings starting to fluff and tremble in uncertainty.

The leader's wings were starting to lower from their aggressive display, adopting one of resignation, when Chrys suddenly cursed and lifted from where he had Nariel pinned.

"Gabriel, we're out of time!" he called, looking up to the his left.

" ** _Fuck_** ," Gabriel snarled as a woman with long platinum blonde hair in a high ponytail landed in the clearing.

"My, my," she spoke, voice deceptively silken as she looked over the angels in the clearing with a predatory gaze. More than one of them sensed the threat and resumed their attack displays. "How very lovely...I wonder what price a live one will fetch," she spoke with a wide grin.

Chrys didn't bother with a retort, instead launching at her with nothing more than a growl. The woman looked over at him sharply and lashed out, meeting his attack with a sharp punch that sent him tumbling a couple of feet to the side. The hero easily rolled and launched back into another attack, this one starting high and diving low, sweeping the legs out from under the woman as she swung uselessly at air.

Gabriel couldn't help but twitch his wings in agitation. He looked back over the angels, seeing most of them bearing confused looks. " ** _This planet is not unified like ours once was_** ," he spoke, drawing the attention from the fighting duo. " ** _There is good, and there is evil, of all different strains. That woman? She wants to take our wings, because none of the beings here have wings. More than that, she wants to catch us, to sell us. Even if I were inclined to allow you to stay, it simply isn't safe. For the good of this planet, and for your own safety, leave!_**"

His proclamation was met with shocked silence.

And then three more humans landed in the clearing. Chrys was letting out a stream of curses, and Argent wasn't back.

"Villians?" Gabriel called out for confirmation, even as he manifested his blade.

"Definitely not heroes!" Chrys called back, grunting as the woman landed another blow on him.

This was an utter mess.

"How fun," one of the new men purred, his body shifting, arms changing and elongating until his hands and forearms had become large looking swords. Ones that look like they could easily shear through a wing with just one swing.

As one, the three men shot in different directions, each toward a different angel. Gabriel had but a split second to decide, and he chose the one with the blades for arms. He moved as he neared one of the six winged females, landing on his back and bringing his blade down through the man's back of the man's neck. The man let out an awful gurgling sound, but Gabriel didn't wait for his death throes to cease, instead turning and launching at the next that had the leader pinned. The human had the angel down on the ground bodily, one hand holding up the hand that had the blade in it, the other hand choking the winged being harshly.

With a furious cry, Gabriel plowed into his side, rolling head over side until they were scrambling up from the ground to face one another.

And then there was a body crashing into his back and he tumbled to the ground. He grunted as he landed, and only Chrys' curse above him kept him from lashing out blindly with his blade. "Where's the freaking back up, Chrysalis?" he growled.

"Almost here," the hero answered as he scrambled up and landed a punch on the advancing attacker that Gabriel had just been facing.

In turn, Gabriel sprung up and spun on the blonde woman advancing toward him with a wicked grin...but she was more out of breath than Chrys was. Gabriel smirked and couldn't help but taunt. "Having problems keeping up?"

The woman's grin vanished and she snarled. "Keep up with this, you winged freak!" she snapped, launching at him.

Gabriel dropped lower and angled his blade up and into her thigh. She shrieked as it hit its mark and he lunged back with the blade, opening the gaping wound as a spray of blood arced into the air before it gushed steadily from the wound. She halted, stumbling and staring, before looking at him in shock. Gabriel gave a shrug, eyes coming up from the opened artery. "You messed with the wrong angel," he supplied, before turning his eyes to the third man, tussling with a group of angels. A couple of them were wounded, one with a broken wing...but it looked like they had it handled, so he looked to Chrys.

Chrys was frowning at the group, the man he'd been fighting on the ground unconscious. Gabriel frowned, but knew from other fights he'd seen the brothers have, that they didn't like to kill if they could avoid it. Honestly, it was something he admired, even if he found it foolish. He'd learned from Chrys that it was difficult to contain those that had access to their energy, and that they often wound up free again. It was why he had no compunction in killing those that would harm others.

Two more people landed in the clearing and Gabriel tensed.

"It's alright, Gabe," Chrys spoke, before he could go on the offense, starting to walk to where the angels were laying into the last villian. The human was definitely already dead, but they were apparently unsure of it. However, at Chrys' approach, they all stilled, wings going high in aggressive displays, in as much as they could. Chrys halted and held his hands up in placation, before looking back at Gabriel expectantly.

"... ** _This is Chrysalis. He's a healer...better than any grace healer. He wants to help. If you could not kill him, I'd like that_** ," Gabriel spoke flatly.

"What'd we miss?" a woman spoke, nearing Gabriel. Meadow...he vaguely remembered her, his interactions with her brief.

"Quite a bit. Trying to get the other angels to leave. Chrys, bleeding heart he is, is trying to heal 'em," he supplied, watching them warily.

The angel with the broken wing was first to step forward, eyeing Chrys with apprehension. Chrys simply gave an encouraging smile, hands starting to glow. The wing snapped into place in an instant and the angel gasped in pain, going to his knees. Chrys swiftly followed, carefully eyeing the other angels as they all stepped forward in agitation. They halted short, though, seeing that there was indeed a healing process going on.

" ** _We can't leave, Gabriel_** ," the leader suddenly spoke, closer than Gabriel had realized he was. He jumped slightly at the closeness, gaze snapping over to him

" ** _And just why the fuck not?_** " he snarled.

" ** _There is no place to go, and our provisions are low. We were sent to find you, I will tell you that much. And after following the remnants of your trail, we were starting to grow desperately low on resources. We were about to give up and seek out a life-bearing planet...when we found the end of your trail...and a life-bearing planet on top of that. If you make us leave, you truly do sentence us to die_** ," the leader spoke.

Gabriel gritted his teeth and looked back over at where Chrys was healing another angel's broken arm.

It was then that Argent finally reappeared, a bit bloodied and looking worse for wear. He looked Chrys over first, then over to Gabriel and Meadow, walking over a bit hesitantly as he kept an eye on the lead angel. Once he was within range, Meadow reached out, healing the wounds he'd encountered while he was gone. He shot her a grateful smile, then looked at Gabriel. "So they leaving?"

"...They don't have the supplies to make a return trip," Gabriel gritted out bitterly.

Argent watched him quietly, then looked over at the lead angel, still addressing Gabriel. "From what you've told us, by now, there's nothing to return to, is there?"

"No," Gabriel admitted with a huff.

"So we send them away, we're dooming 'em?"

"That's hardly your problem. Any human's problem."

"No. It isn't. But we're not heartless bastards, Gabe. If they can agree to only fight in defense of themselves, to live peacefully...they can stay," Argent spoke, huffing a bit at his own words.

Gabriel's wings fluffed and shifted in agitation. "I don't like it. Don't trust 'em," he muttered.

"We'll have Moon Queen set them up somewhere where she can keep an eye on them, alright? They try anything, they get the boot," Argent said with a shrug.

Gabriel contemplated. He didn't want to sentence his people to death. Not again. He'd already done that once, in preventing the genocide of another race. But what sort of trouble would it bring if they allowed this group to stay? Would they be followed as well?

"Hey, man," Argent interrupted his thoughts. Gabriel finally drew his gaze from where Chrys was now heading back toward them, looking at Argent. "Whatever comes, we'll handle it. Just like Chrys said. For now? This group, they're welcome."

Gabriel sighed, then turned to the leader.

" ** _Stay with the ship. Seal it up, don't open it unless myself, Argent, or Chrysalis show up. We'll bring provisions, and once we have someplace safe available, we'll lead you all there_** ," he said quietly, having gestured to Argent and Chrys when he spoke of them. The leader took them in, then looked back at Gabriel with a grateful gaze.

" ** _Thank you_**."

" ** _Don't thank me. I'd have booted you. These humans...they're better than our people ever were_** ," Gabriel said with a shrug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really suck at fighting scenes....
> 
> Also, the next 2-3 days might not have a chapter. Sorry, guys, but it's busy time at work, and I'll be working late.


	16. Chapter 16

Meadow and the other hero, her brother Stag, offered to take up guard of the ship in case more villains showed. Chrys, however, waved them off. "Nah, Gabe and I will keep watch for now. We'll have Moon Queen set up a shift for heroes to keep watch. For now, take Kilth here to the authorities for us?" he requested, gesturing to the villain he'd knocked out. They had agreed and hauled him off within minutes.

Argent was eyeing the bodies of the remaining three villains, two of them prone on the ground, and the third crumpled on her knees, a gaping hole in her thigh where precious life blood had fled her. "Hey, Queenie? Could you uh...send someone to clean up the clearing a bit? We got three bodies..." he supplied.

"Gabe really doesn't like leaving 'em alive, does he?" Chrys heard over the com in his ear. He looked over where Gabriel was watching the last of the angels enter the ship from an opening on the underside.

"I think it's something of a cultural difference, Moon Queen. Their morals seem...a bit harsher than our own," Chrys responded. At that, Gabriel shot him a curious glance, but he didn't speak up in question. Chrys turned his gaze to Argent. "Since Gabe and I are keeping watch, could you go gather up some supplies, at least a couple of days worth, for the angels?"

Argent huffed. "Look, I know I'm strong, but carrying supplies for eight angels in flight? That's going to suck," he complained.

Chrys shot him bitchface number 67.

"Fine! I'll be back in about...I dunno, three, four hours," Argent spoke, before taking off to the skies.

Within an hour, another hero had swung by and taken the bodies away to authorities in a nearby city for identification.

Another three hours had Chrys frowning, stomach rumbling. He asked Moon Queen to contact Argent, but apparently he'd taken off his com. During this time, Gabriel had taken to flying around randomly, or doing some exercises. Chrys was doing his best not to watch as he practiced various fighting techniques.

Another two hours, however, and he started out and out sparring with Gabriel. He was starving, his stomach cramping with hunger, and the sparring was a welcome distraction. ...It completely had nothing to do with how Gabriel looked as he moved, or being able to press close to him when he managed, on occasion, to toss or pin the angel.

It was getting into evening, and Chrys was both worried and pissed...when finally, he noticed someone approaching in the distance. "Your com on now, jerk?" he spoke, eyeing the figure approaching in the sky, seemingly weighed down with several large plastic totes.

"Shaddup, ya whiny bitch. Someone had to feed Cas, and gather all these supplies," Argent's voice responded from over the com.

Chrys frowned, but took up to the sky to meet him, grabbing a couple of the totes to help out. They were heavy and pulled him steadily down toward the ground, but he managed it well.

When they landed, they walked forward toward the ship. "Hey, Gabriel, can you go ahead and..." he began, but Gabriel had gone completely still. "...Gabe?" he spoke as they drew closer.

But Gabriel's eyes were on Argent. Argent frowned, setting the remaining three totes down to the side, tilting his head. "Dude, what's up?" he asked.

At that, Gabriel took a slow, measured step forward. Chrys set his own totes down, watching as Gabriel's nostrils flared. His wings were doing that aggressive thing suddenly. His expression was closed, but rage was simmering in his eyes.

"Argent," Gabriel spoke, voice cold. "Tell me you did not have sex with my little brother."

Chrys' eyes widened and he snapped his gaze over to Argent. Argent was flushing and cringing back slightly. "What the ever loving fuck did you do?" he breathed.

Argent looked over at Chrys and everything about his older brother went on the defensive. "Look, I just took him a sandwich, and he fucking started begging and then he was pinning me to the wall, and do you have any idea how ridiculously strong he is? And then...I don't know, one thing led to another, and--"

The rant was cut off by Gabriel starting to yell loudly, clearly swearing and cursing, as he stormed around in agitation. Half of what he was saying was aimed in Argent's direction, some of it at the sky, none of it in English.

"Gabe...Gabe, I'm sorry, but come on, man, English--" Chrys started.

"He cannot fucking consent during his cycle!" Gabriel all but bellowed at Argent, cutting Chrys off.

Everything went silent at that. The moment stretched, longer and longer. Chrys slowly looked back at Argent.

His brother looked sick.

Chrys moved slowly, carefully angling himself between Argent and Gabriel. At the move, Gabriel's gaze snapped to him, still full of rage.

"Easy, Gabe. We didn't know. Argent didn't know. He didn't mean to take advantage, would have _never_ taken advantage if--"

"But he did," Gabriel snarled, wings stretching impossibly higher.

"That's not fair, man. We know nothing of your culture, of your biology. We've done everything we can to teach you our own, but you haven't been sharing yours. We didn't know, Gabriel. Please...please calm down," Chrys pleaded.

Gabriel's wings gave a tremor at the plea, and he screwed his eyes shut. He took several deep breaths, and slowly his wings were starting to relax, to come back down.

But there was something that was nagging at Chrys, and he needed to know. They all needed to know, because there was a risk, especially if Argent hadn't been careful...and he was willing to bet he hadn't been.

"Gabriel," Chrys started cautiously. Gabriel didn't open his eyes, but a small tilt of his head showed he was listening. "...How many sets of chromosomes does your species have?" he asked gently.

Gabriel's wings gave a great shuddering twitch, then finally folded back. His eyes opened, and he looked a good bit calmer. "Twenty five," he answered quietly.

Chrys felt his body sag slightly in relief. There was a lot of similarities between their species, but Gabriel's own had more sets of chromosomes. That meant a biological incompatibility. Castiel couldn't become pregnant by a human. And seeing Gabriel relax, and knowing that he and Castiel had been studying biology in recent weeks, meant that the angel had realized this as well.

"Alright. Alright, come on, let's get this stuff to your people now, okay?" Chrys spoke. Gabriel gave a tired nod, and they all moved, Gabriel taking a tote from Argent and turning to the ship, calling out in his native language. As the ship opened on the underside, they approached to bring the supplies inside.


	17. Chapter 17

They followed Gabriel up into the ship, and further on into it as the lead angel, with the six cream colored wings, brought them further on. He stopped, finally, in what was clearly a mess hall of some sort. When Gabriel set down his own tote, speaking with the other angel, Argent and Chrys followed suit.

"Chrys," Argent began, but Chrys stopped him short with a sharp look.

"I don't want to hear it. You're my brother, and God knows I love you, but I'm really fucking pissed right now. Of all the stupid things you've done..." he said, cutting himself off there and shaking his head. He took a moment, then looked back up at Argent. "They are reliant on us right now, Argent. Under our protection, while they learn about this planet and how to come to terms with the differences between what they know, and what there is here. I know you didn't mean to take advantage of Castiel, but the fact is, you did."

Argent flinched bodily, like Chrys had punched him in the gut rather than just speaking words aloud. It makes Chrys feel a little bad, but he's not really in a forgiving mood at the moment.

"You're right," Argent offers up quietly, hunching in on himself slightly. "I just.... No, nevermind. There's no real excuse. Look, I'll stick around here to keep an eye out on the angels' ship for a while, so you and Gabe can head on back. I know you didn't get a chance to eat this morning, so...make sure you do. And uh..." here, Argent pauses, shifting uncomfortably. Chrys wonders, for just a second, what he could say that would make this situation worse. "...you might want to work on replacing the rest of the light bulbs. I didn't have time to get to all of 'em," he finishes quietly.

He's stunned speechless for a moment, and then...then he steps forward and lands a solid punch on Argent's jaw. He is filled with rage, and it doesn't calm in the slightest as Argent staggers and looks up at him in surprise.

"After all the shit you've been giving me, you--"

"I thought it was just you, and I didn't even know what was going on! I came to, and all the fucking lights were out, Chrys!" Argent argues.

"I don't want to fucking hear it," Chrys snarls lowly. He's then aware that Gabriel and the other angels are watching, all of them looking on with curious gazes. Even Gabriel, which means he probably hadn't heard what they'd been talking about. Chrys reigns in his anger bodily, rolling his shoulders back as he moves around Argent. "I'm heading back now," he speaks, not waiting to hear any acknowledgement out of his brother, and hoping that Gabriel has learned enough to find his own way, because he's not up for waiting on the angel right now.

He makes it back to Tower around an hour later, having taken a ten minute detour to pick up food from his favorite bistro. He needs the comfort, he thinks, to soothe his raging, roiling emotions.

Landing inside, he looks around as he drops the bag onto the table. The lights in the main area have been replaced, but the hallway is dark. Chrys sighs and pulls out a burger and fries he'd picked up for Castiel, unsure if the angel ever got around to eating. He moves down the hall, stopping in front of the angels' room. A sliver of light comes from under the door, the only light in the dark hallway. Chrys knocks and waits, and after a long moment, Cas opens the door. He eyes the food for a moment...and then he's eyeing Chrys, and Chrys is all sorts of uncomfortable in that moment. The discomfort spikes to nauseating levels when Cas reaches out and tries to catch Chrys instead of reaching for the food. Chrys takes a step back and holds the food up. "No, Castiel," he speaks. "Eat. When Gabriel gets back, I'll have him bring you something to drink."

Cas stills for a moment, and Chrys sees that his eyes are clouded; only notices it seconds before they clear and his expression is full of embarrassment rather than want. He swiftly snags the food and shuts the door between them, plunging the hall back into darkness.

Chrys goes to his room, changes in the dark. It's Sam that emerges from the room, heading to find the light bulbs and setting about replacing the shattered remains in the hall and the other rooms of Tower.

By the time Sam comes out from the hallway, Gabriel is back in Tower and eyeing his food with interest. Sam's hungry, but he decides to just go ahead and take the time to fix something. It might help him calm down more. "Go ahead," Sam spoke, startling Gabriel a bit. He offers up a smile in assurance, and it's all Gabriel needs to pull the pasta dish from the bag and dig in. "When you're done, take Cas something to drink. I don't think it's a good idea for me to approach him again," he speaks, heading for the kitchen. Gabriel freezes, wings twitching in that agitated way, and Sam quickly adds, "Nothing happened, Gabe. I just passed him some food, that's all."

Gabriel relaxes, nodding a bit, and Sam makes himself a sandwich and grabs some kettle chips out of the pantry. He moves over and sits down near Gabriel. The angel's already finished half the dish and Sam can't help but smile. "I take it you like mushroom ravioli, then?" he questions.

Gabriel looks up and his nose scrunches in thought. "Mushroom...isn't that a fungus?"

"It is, but there's a lot of edible varieties. I think the bistro favors the portabello strain for their ravioli," Sam offers up.

Gabriel nods in thought and eats another one of the stuffed pasta pieces. Finally, "I think I do like it, yes," he answers.

Sam can't help but to smile. After that, they fall silent, each eating their own meal. Gabriel's done before Sam and goes to the fridge, grabbing a couple of water bottles and heading down the hall. He comes back a few moments later with Castiel's trash, and he looks upset again. Sam stands to put his now-empty plate in the sink. "What's up?" he asks as he moves.

"...Cassie says his grace reacted to Dean," Gabriel supplies with a frown.

"Grace?"

"Like your energy...or soul, whatever you want to call it. It's the center of us," Gabriel answers.

It occurs to Sam then that that must be the presence he feels when he and Gabriel interact in that weird way that blows out lights. "Mm...yeah, Dean told me they'd blown out the lights. I was working on replacing them when I got back...mostly just the hallway and other rooms," he said with a shrug. He looks Gabriel over for a moment, seeing that the angel is unsettled. "...It's something abnormal for you guys, isn't it? The whole...uh, grace reacting thing?"

Gabriel nods in way of answer. "I don't know what it means. If anything," he speaks after another moment.

"Maybe it's just because it's not used to the feeling humans give off? I don't know, man...I've never experienced anything like that, either," Sam admits. He carefully avoids saying how he likes it, how it feels _right_ in a way that nothing else has ever felt.

Gabriel nods again, and then he shrugs and shakes the conversation off, veering away from the topic as he looks up at Sam. "Can we fight again?" he asks. When Sam does little more than blink, Gabriel frowns. "Like when we were waiting for Dean?" he prompts.

"Oh. Spar...sparring. Or training," Sam says with a slight shrug. There's a difference between that and fighting, after all, and he wants to provide the words to Gabriel. When Gabriel nods, obviously cataloging the words away, Sam gives a nod as well. "Sure. Come on," Sam says, leading the way down the hall, turning near the gym to the studio area where he and Dean occasionally spar. The floor is wooden, and the walls lightly padded, the room large and empty otherwise. "Hand-to-hand is okay, right? Like back by the ship?" he asks as he nears the center of the room, turning to look at the angel.

Gabriel nods, then pauses with a frown. "Last week, that villian...he tried to stab you with a sword, and it broke," he starts.

Sam nods. "I have the ability to solidify my cells, make them impenetrable. Or well...the tensile strength is equivalent to one of the stronger Earth metals, anyway," he provides.

"...But not stronger than my blade, then? Or did I catch you by surprise, back when I first arrived?"

Sam winces slightly, rolling his right shoulder. It'd healed fine, but there was still an echo, a recollection, of that pain. "No, no...I was using that ability then. The metal of your, uh, blade...it's stronger than me, obviously," Sam answers.

Gabriel doesn't say anything, merely frowns for a moment. And then, "I'm sorry. You were helping Cassie and--"

"It's alright. I get it. Besides, you protected me when the ship blew. We're square," Sam says.

Gabriel frowns in confusion, obviously trying to figure out what a two dimensional shape has to do with the conversation, and Sam huffs a small laugh. He doesn't explain, and lets Gabriel make what he will of the English language's idiosyncrasies. Instead, he shifts one foot back, displacing his weight as he crouches into a defensive position. Gabriel blinks out of his thoughts, and within seconds, he's lunging.

Sam enjoys it. They each move fluidly, just like they had in the clearing. Gabriel lands a few hits, but Sam lands his own as well. Their openings are few and far between as they've already had a chance to pick up on one another's fighting style.

But then....

They've been going for over twenty minutes, and maybe it's the day taking its toll, maybe Gabriel's distracted by something, but there's suddenly an opening, a huge one, and Sam automatically takes it, lunging in and bodily lifting Gabriel and slamming him down onto the floor on his back, pinning him down with his own weight.

They both go still, panting one another's air, staring into each other's eyes.

Gabriel's gaze first holds surprise. Then a smirk twists his lips, and he looks like he's happy about the position they're in now. And suddenly, something else is flashing in his honeyed depths, and Sam's breath catches, his eyes moving to that smirk. He feels a small surge of annoyance. He's the one with the upper hand here, so why is Gabriel smirking like he's exactly where he wants to be? Sam wants to make that smirk go away, because it's doing things to him, twisting his stomach in a way that's almost pleasurable, and--

And why he does it, he's not sure, but he's crashing their lips together suddenly, determined to wipe that smirk off the angel's face. The lips are pliant under his, but dammit, he can still feel that smirk there.

So Sam starts to lick his way into Gabriel's mouth. It seems to surprise the alien, because he gasps, and Sam's tongue slips in, and _oh_.

If he hadn't known Gabriel was from another planet, he'd have believed he was a heavenly being, because he's perfect under Sam. He still tastes faintly of the cream sauce from the pasta dinner, but also something else that Sam can't place at the moment. As Gabriel's tongue starts to fight with his own, he finds he can't care about that right now. He own tongue darts and surges, and there's a sound-not quite a groan-that comes from Gabriel's throat and Sam is swept away with it.

He's barely aware of it until his cock starts to harden, but his hips are moving against Gabriel's body in long grinding thrusts up against the angel's ass, and suddenly, Gabriel is pulling from his lips, head thunking back against the floor. The moan that tears from his throat is downright sinful, and his hands are scrabbling at Sam's stomach where they're mostly pinned between them.

It's so fucking hot, and Sam wants more. But then his brain is rebooting and back online, and he stills, realizing what he's doing. "Fuck," he breathes, not quite able to tear away yet, but definitely stopping himself from doing anything more.

Gabriel's slowly stilling under him, his gaze coming to meet Sam's. He looks confused, and Sam cringes, finally pulling himself away. "Shit, Gabriel, I'm so sorry, I didn't--"

"Sam, no--" Gabriel's following him, reaching toward him, but Sam yanks back quickly.

"Don't!" he barks, pushing up to his feet quickly.

"Sam," Gabriel tries again.

But Sam cuts him off, shaking his head. "No. Dean and I are all you and Cas have known for well over a month and whatever the hell this is, it's not what you want, and you may not see that now, Gabriel, but you will, and you'll regret it, and I'm not going to do that to you," he says, already moving to walk away as Gabriel scrambles to his feet.

"Sam!" he calls after him, but Sam doesn't turn around, doesn't turn back. Because if he does, he's going to cave, and he's going to care, and it's all going to hurt so much when the angel finally leaves.


	18. Chapter 18

Gabriel had been slow to process Sam's words. He'd called after him, sure, but his mind had been reeling after their kisses and the feel of Sam's body pressing against his just so _deliciously_ , and it'd taken longer than usual for his mind to make sense of the words. By the time he thought to follow, Sam had vanished.

He didn't see him again for three days.

During those three days, Cassie's cycle had ended, and his brother was making shy moon eyes at Dean every time the hero had his back turned.

And Dean was looking at Cassie in much the same way.

It irritated the hell out of Gabriel, mostly for reasons that he really didn't want to try and analyze too deeply. He ignored it and trusted that Cassie, now outside of his cycle, would figure out whatever the hell he wanted with the damned human, and act on it or not. Meanwhile, Gabriel kept looking for Sam.

Knocking on Sam's bedroom door yielded no answer. He'd actually tried the handle the evening of the second day, but found the room empty when the door swung open. He'd been hard pressed not to enter the room and pry.

The morning of the third day, he broke down at breakfast and looked at Dean. "Where's Sam?" he asked, trying his best to offer up just a genuinely curious tone.

Dean had shrugged from where he sat a couple of seats down on the left side of the table. "Said he needed air. Before you guys arrived, we would sometimes go off and visit other heroes' hideouts, ya know? We didn't always stick around here. Humans, we uhm...we tend to get anxious if we stay cooped up for too long," he explained.

That afternoon, Dean approached Gabriel while he was picking at a sandwich idly, Castiel watching with a faint frown on his lips.

"Yo, head for the ship when you're done eating. Moon Queen says it's your shift for watch," he spoke.

Gabriel looked up at Dean, then stood and tossed the remainder of his sandwich. He almost missed Dean's frown at that, when he turned back around. And he almost asked what the issue was...but he couldn't find himself able to care, really.

He was sinking into a depressive funk and he knew it.

"I will go with you," Cassie spoke suddenly, standing. Gabriel looked over at him and opened his mouth to decline...but then clicked his jaw shut and shrugged. Why not? Some interaction with their own kind might be good for his baby brother.

Walking to the panel on the wall, Gabriel opened the skylight, and soon flew through it, Cassie following close behind.

It didn't take even an hour to reach the clearing where the ship was still sealed up. There were a couple of heroes there as they landed. Meadow and Stag, actually, now that Gabriel looked closer. Meadow gave Gabriel and Cassie a friendly smile. "Hey guys. You might wanna think about having them open up for a while, come out and get some air. Plus, Argent had us bring more supplies with us," she said, gesturing to some large plastic totes nearby.

"Thank you. And that's good advice. I'm sure plenty of them will be happy to stretch their wings," Gabriel replied. At the mention of wings, Meadow's eyes went to Gabriel's wings and she tilted her head. Gabriel did his best not to shift uncomfortably under her curious gaze.

"So...why do you have six wings? Is there any meaning behind your color variations? How--"

"Geez, sis, leave 'em be," Stag interrupted. "Besides, I'm starving, and I'd like to go sometime today?" he ventured.

Gabriel was grateful. He'd barely gone over this with Sam. He wasn't sure he was ready to go over it with someone he barely knew at all.

Meadow huffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered, then looked over at Gabriel. "I totally want some answers. I'll come by Tower sometime next week, if that's alright?" she asked.

Gabriel wanted to say it wasn't...but he wasn't going to be rude to Meadow. She'd helped him before, and she was kind. Good. So he nodded.

Meadow and Stag said their goodbyes, and soon were flying off. Once they were gone, Cassie drew closer to the ship, curious.

Before Gabriel could even call out, it was opening up, and Sefir, the leader, was walking down to greet them, an easy smile on his lips. Having provisions must've been good for him and his crew, then, to have changed his demeanor so much from their first meeting.

" ** _Gabriel, well met. And you are Castiel, yes_**?" he spoke. Cassie gave a slow, wary nod, eyeing Sefir over carefully. Sefir didn't seem offended. Instead, he gave an easy smile in response, relaxing his posture further and making it even more open. " ** _Well met. I am Sefir, the captain of this vessel_** ," he greeted Cassie.

" ** _Well met_** ," Cassie responded, still cautious. Gabriel frowned over at him slightly. He'd told Cassie everything that had gone down. He wasn't sure why his little brother was acting so very hesitant here. A movement over Castiel's shoulders drew Gabriel's gaze. His feathers were fluffing and settling in an almost continuous motion. Something had Cassie uneasy, but he was trying to settle down.

For now, Gabriel decided to brush it aside. He looked back to Sefir. " ** _Why don't you have the others come out for a while? There's more provisions here_** ," Gabriel spoke with a small gesture of his hand to the totes, Sefir's gaze following and lighting up a bit, " ** _and I'm sure they'd be happy to stretch their wings after so long_** ," Gabriel finished.

Sefir looked back up at Gabriel, thinking for a moment and looking uncertain. " ** _More beings came and fought those guarding our vessel during your absence. I am not so certain I want our people exposed should any more come_** ," he said slowly.

" ** _Cassie and I will alert you all if there's need to fight. We can communicate with anyone that shows, and if they give cause for concern, we will alert you at once_** ," Gabriel assured.

Sefir's wings gave a few uncertain twitches for a moment, then settled, and he nodded. " ** _Alright. You are correct; we all need to stretch our wings. Between our journey here, and these last few days in close quarters, a good flight would be nice_** ," he said. He turned back toward the vessel. " ** _Nariel, Mefusa, Kipa...please come carry these provisions in with me_** ," he called, before moving to lift a couple of the totes.

The other angels came out fairly quickly. Nariel, with his two turquoise wings, came first. The next angel, whom Gabriel assumed was Kipa, flew with her feet just off the ground, her scarlet wings looking almost maroon in the shadow of the vessel. Mefusa, whom Gabriel only knew because he'd asked questions about the provisions when Gabriel had last boarded the vessel, came last, his six stormy dappled wings twitching with interest as his eyes landed on Cassie.

Gabriel was usually defensive of his little brother, but he knew Cassie could handle himself. Still...Cassie had never reacted to someone's passing interest quite like this.

Cassie was letting out a vicious growl, and when Gabriel looked over, he was shocked to see Cassie's wings wide in the most aggressive display his little brother had ever given. It had all of the angels stilling in shock.

When Cassie suddenly manifested his blade, Gabriel immediately moved, turning toward his brother fully and placing himself between him and the other angels.

" ** _Cassie...what's going on_**?" he asked quietly.

Cassie's wings gave an aggravated twitch, and Cassie seemed to be warring with himself. He was trying to stand down; Gabriel could see the struggle in his eyes, in the way his expression flashed briefly in mortification. His eyes slowly moved away from the other angels, to Gabriel. Gabriel met his gaze, keeping himself open and calm, waiting for his brother to relax, to come out of whatever was going through his head.

All at once, Cassie's expression was open and lost, his wings not just relaxing, but slouching down in a pitiful display, pressing low to the ground. His shoulders hunched forward as if he was trying to hide himself under the weight of his actions. " ** _Gabriel, I_**..." he began, but he trailed off, clearly having no explanation.

Gabriel frowned in concern, but shook his head. " ** _We'll figure it out later, then. Go back to Tower. No. Go_** ," Gabriel spoke, cutting off Cassie's protest as it began to form.

Cassie looked away, a miserable expression on his face, and then he obeyed, taking off into the air, back the direction they'd come.

When Gabriel turned back around, the other angels were watching his little brother's retreating form. Gabriel's wings fluffed in agitation. " ** _If you all are done gawking_**..." he began, drawing their attention. " ** _Then please, get back to it_** ," he finished.

They each had the decency to look sheepish in their own ways, picking up totes and carrying them into the ship, Gabriel turned back to the clearing to wait on them all to come out when they were ready, and he blinked, stilling.

Walking his way, from the tree line, was Chrysalis.

He'd wanted to see him since their little...incident. But now that he did, he had not a clue what to do...or say, for that matter. He had been seeking Chrys out for days, but he'd not once thought about what to say when he found him. It left him floundering as he watched the hero approach.

Once Chrys was within ten feet, he spoke first. "What's up with Cas? He okay?" he spoke.

Gabriel couldn't help fluffing his wings in clear agitation. Chrys had been here for that. Had been, what? Hiding in the treeline? And was only approaching just now? Because he was concerned about _Castiel_. Would he have bothered to come near Gabriel if not for the curiosity over what was going on with the other angel?

That was that, then. Whatever there was between them, Chrys was refusing to acknowledge it, to approach it. He didn't really want anything to do with Gabriel, and it stung. No, it _hurt_. Like hell Gabriel was going to show the human that, though. He schooled his expression into something dismissive and cool, giving a shrug. "Honestly, I don't know. Not yet. But it's not really your concern, is it?" he spoke evenly.

Chrys' steps faltered for half a second, but then he gave a shrug. "Maybe not," he spoke, just as smooth and cool as Gabriel's own tone was.

And then the angels were walking out of the vessel, and Gabriel was relieved for the distraction. He turned to them, his wings giving an aborted dismissive gesture that Chrys probably wouldn't understand anyway. He offered them a smile, and as they took to the air, in twos and threes, he decided to join them and leave Chrys on the ground.

How long they were in the air, Gabriel couldn't say. It was freeing and relaxing, soaring through the air, practically dancing with his own people in a way he hadn't in years. Since just before their planet core had begun cooling. Nariel was the one he was currently looping around the treetops with. The younger angel was giving small flips of his wings that displayed interest, too...and Gabriel almost wanted to flirt in turn. Almost. But honestly? He was still hung up on the stupid human watching over them all from back by the vessel.

" ** _Gabriel_** ," Sefir called, starting to drift over, a frown on his lips as he looked back toward the clearing. " ** _Chrysalis is saying something_** ," he said.

Gabriel blinked, turning and hovering, straining to hear. Chrys was indeed yelling something from back by the ship, and he'd taken to the air, too. Gabriel couldn't make out exactly what he was yelling from this distance, but he caught the urgency in his tone. " ** _Something's wrong. Sefir, call everyone back_** ," Gabriel spoke quickly, starting to fly toward Chrys.

Chrys had stopped yelling by the time Gabriel began making his way toward him, and had turned, a tense line to him as he hovered in the air, staring toward the South. "Chrys? What's going on?" he asked as he neared.

The human looked at him over his shoulder. "There's at least ten villains incoming. There could be more. Argent's on his way, as are others, but the closest is twenty minutes out. ...Get your people into the vessel, Gabe, and go in with them. I--"

"I know you're not that stupid, Chrys! What the hell are you thinking, trying to stay out here by yourself?" Gabriel demanded, his feathers fluffing once again.

"That I might be able to distract them to keep them from trying to cut or blow their way into the ship! You can't stay out here, Gabe! They're after your species, and they won't care that you have been here for months, that you know how to speak English, that you have a brother waiting for you back home, that you like mushrooms, that your wings twitch every time you bite into something sugary, that you're warm and golden and soft, and--"

"Sam," Gabriel breathes, because he sees Chrys panicking. Panicking because he's scared for Gabriel.

Chrys looks away quickly, swallowing. "Please, Gabriel. _Please_. Get into the ship and seal it up."

"No. No, because we're all going to fight," Gabriel says suddenly. Chrys' wide-eyed gaze snaps around to him, and his mouth opens to form protest, but Gabriel surges on. "If my people want to stay here, they're going to have to learn how to fight those that wish them harm. This is the time to start, when back up is incoming," he says, eyes moving past Chrys where he sees a dark swarm of figures now. Without waiting for Chrys to respond, Gabriel quickly dives to where Sefir and the other seven angels are standing by the ship. " ** _We've got hostiles incoming. We're going to have to fight, all of us. It's too much for Chrysalis and myself to handle on our own. The good news is, we've already got back up on the way_** ," he tells Sefir firmly.

Sefir, thankfully, seems to be in agreement with Gabriel. He nods shortly and turns to his crew. " ** _Manifest your blades, and keep a firm hold on your grace. Use it as much as you are able. Given what we've already seen, we can assume this is not going to be an easy fight. Do not attack anyone unless they make to attack you first; as Gabriel has said, there are reinforcements coming to our aid. It wouldn't do to attack those whom wish to help us_** ," he orders. The angels immediately comply, and start to move into a loose formation.

And that's all the time there is, because there's suddenly people there. Chrys is already fighting off a couple of people from his space up in the sky. Gabriel's wings twitch in agitation. There's another thirteen in the clearing with them, madness in their eyes, their lips twisted into cruel smirks, or in a couple of cases, smiles that look all too genuine. Gabriel manifests his own blade, not bothering to hesitate in launching toward the nearest one.


	19. Chapter 19

Chrys had landed, well inside the trees, a good while before Gabriel had arrived with Cas in tow. He'd walked through them, trying to clear his head. He knew it was futile, already. He'd spent the past almost-three-days at Moon Queen's place, trying to clear his head. And he had been distracted by the hero that he and Argent were close enough with to consider a little sister, but not enough. His thoughts wouldn't stray very far from Gabriel and what had happened between them.

He'd honestly thought himself better at keeping a level head than Argent, and even better at keeping it in his pants. But when it came to Gabriel, logic apparently fled until he was just as bad as his big brother, and about to take advantage of an alien that had pretty much no other point of contact outside of them on this planet.

He supposed he owed Argent an apology. He didn't get to be angry at his brother when he was close to pulling the very same shit the other hero had.

He reached the treeline, and easily kept himself hidden from Meadow and Stag. Though, honestly, how easily he escaped their notice didn't really make him happy. Had he been an enemy, a villain, it could've spelt bad things for the other sibling-heroes, as well as the aliens currently cooped up in the ship.

He stared at the tree across from him and scowled as his thoughts came back to Gabriel, yet again. That scowl deepened at the exact thoughts that trailed through his mind. Of how Gabriel had felt under him, warm, firm, and somehow soft all at the same time. Of that damned _sound_ he'd let out when Chrys had pressed against his body.

Of how much he wanted to hear more of it.

He closed his eyes against the direction his thoughts went, carefully and deliberately blanking his mind. He couldn't entertain those thoughts. He wouldn't.

How long he stood there, he was uncertain, but the distant sound of voices brought him from the crafted thoughtless state. He looked over to see Gabriel speaking with Meadow and Stag. Cas was standing behind him, staring up at the ship. Chrys was vaguely surprised at the angel's presence, but Gabriel had said that that cycle of his only lasted a few days. It'd be over by now. And he was sure that Cas would like to interact with his own people.

Gabriel probably wanted to as well.

...He'd probably leave and join them once Moon Queen had finished setting up the compound she was working on for the angels that had arrived just days before. Gabriel and Castiel would leave, and damned if that didn't make something in Chrys' chest ache hollowly. He rubbed at his sternum with a frown. What the hell was wrong with him? Why was he so attached to Gabriel?

He sighed, looking back at the tree again. This was ridiculous. It was stupid. He had to let go. Everything in him was trying to hold on, but he had to let go. Gabriel needed to be with his people. So did Cas.

He looked back over at the backs of the angels. ...They could have families. Build a family with the angels that had arrived. And Chrys wouldn't try and deny them that. Even if the thought of Gabriel with one of these angels, of him running around with little angels, hurt. At the same time...he thought it only right. Gabriel was funny and witty and kind in his own way. And the few times he'd seen him looking at a child, when he followed Chrys and Argent to help with a situation, he had been filled with a sense of want, on behalf of Gabriel.

Gabriel would be an amazing father, he thought. He'd love the other parent of his children, and he would give everything to those children. He wanted Gabriel to have a family.

And that was something Chrys would never be able to give him. He closed his eyes against the sharp ache that filled him with that thought.

When he opened his eyes, Meadow and Stag were gone, and the ship was opening.

He watched the lead angel from before step out, and the angel was smiling and open, unlike how he'd been previously. Maybe the short amount of time had eased his demeanor. Chrys wasn't sure, but it both upset and relieved him. Upset him, because this meant he was right. Cas and Gabriel would join the other angels soon. But it relieved him, because it meant these angels were going to accept Gabriel and Castiel's presences in their lives.

He watched as they interacted, and soon, three more angels were exiting the ship.

It had to be that damned wing language he barely understood. It had to be, but at this distance, he had no way of knowing for sure. All he knew was that suddenly, Cas' wings were spread high and wide, and the other angels had stilled. It almost looked like they were shocked by the display. Chrys frowned as he watched Gabriel move in front of Cas, and he barely caught the glint of metal in the younger brother's hand from where he stood. Cas had summoned his blade? What the fuck was going on? He'd think the other angels had threatened him, but Gabriel wasn't acting like they had, and the other angels were still standing carefully still, as if they were afraid to provoke an attack from Cas.

It took a moment, but all at once, Cas' wings sunk, and not to their normal position, but to almost pressing the undersides into the ground. A moment later, he was taking off into the sky, heading back in the direction Tower was. Chrys watched until he could no longer see him, which only took a moment. In that time, the other angels had gathered totes from the ground and headed back into the ship.

...Might as well find out what was going on. Cas was a friend, and Gabriel's little brother. He was concerned about just what the hell had happened. So he started forward.

Gabriel watched the other angels go into the ship, and then turned. Chrys could tell when he was spotted, because Gabriel went abnormally still. He wondered, vaguely, what Gabriel was thinking, to react to Chrys' presence like that. He wouldn't ask, though. It was none his business. He just kept on forward, speaking when he was close enough to be heard. "What's up with Cas? He okay?"

He was close enough now to see Gabriel's feathers fluff up. Why? Concern for Cas? Confusion over the situation? Or just an upset display with Chrys?

Gabriel's expression closed off, his eyes cold as he responded. "Honestly, I don't know. Not yet. But it's not really your concern, is it?"

Chrys almost outright stumbled at the tone Gabriel took. Fuck. Gabe hated him now, didn't he?

_'It's for the best. He's going to leave once the other angels have a place. And you know you could never give him what he deserves.'_

He took another two steps and gave a shrug, conceding. "Maybe not."

His eyes moved past Gabriel then, watching as the other eight angels filed out of the ship. Gabriel turned, and the way his wings twitched and flicked had Chrys frowning slightly, but he took it, whatever it meant.

Soon, all the angels were in the sky. He watched them looping through the air. Playing. Dancing. His eyes easily found Gabriel after a few moments. ...He looked happy, if Chrys was reading him right from where he was on the ground.

Chrys turned and looked at the ship, deciding it was more interesting than the angels above.

His mind turned to the compound Moon Queen had almost completed for the angels. It was high in the mountains, somewhere they could fly without being disturbed, somewhere not easily accessible by humans that couldn't fly, and the building itself was all too spacious. Six floors with ten bedroom each, four bathrooms a floor, a kitchen on the bottom/main floor, along with a huge living room area, and a communal dining area, large enough to hold all occupants if every room was filled.

Moon Queen was clearly expecting more angels to follow. Chrys wasn't sure if they would, and even more unsure if that'd be a good thing if they did. This group had almost easily fallen into compliance. But who was to say another group would? That any other group that arrived would agree to only fight in defense of themselves and accept living here peacefully?

He was distracted by his thoughts for quite some time, but when he felt it, it still snapped him to attention. He spun, eyes widening as he looked in the direction of the malicious intents heading their way.

"Gabriel! GABE! Get them back to the ship!" he yelled out. He turned, but it didn't seem Gabe had heard him. "GABRIEL!" he called again, before looking to the South. Slowly, he rose into the sky and started separating and counting, tapping his com. "Moon Queen, I've got...shit, ten, I think, villains incoming. We need help, _now_ ," he spoke.

"Shit. Shit shit shit! Alright, I'm scrambling the cavalry, but Chrys, the closest person is Jukes, and she's an easy twenty minutes out. Try and hold them off, yeah?"

"Yeah," Chrys responded.

"Chrys? What's going on?" he heard Gabriel's voice.

He looked over at him from over his shoulder. "There's at least ten villains incoming. There could be more. Argent's on his way, as are others, but the closest is twenty minutes out," he began, looking over to where the other angels were starting to head toward the ship. He had to keep them safe. ...All of them. "...Get your people into the vessel, Gabe, and go in with them. I--"

"I know you're not that stupid, Chrys! What the hell are you thinking, trying to stay out here by yourself?" Gabriel cut in.

Chrys did his best not to huff a sigh. "That I might be able to distract them to keep them from trying to cut or blow their way into the ship! You can't stay out here, Gabe! They're after your species, and they won't care that you have been here for months," _that you're so smart_ , "that you know how to speak English," _that you deserve all the happiness there is_ , "that you have a brother waiting for you back home," _that I want to be able to give you all of that, and isn't that just weird_? "that you like mushrooms," _Fuck, Gabe, I'm in love with you. When did that happen?_ "that your wings twitch every time you bite into something sugary," _Please Gabe, just listen to me and be safe!_ "that you're warm and golden and soft, and--"

"Sam," Gabriel interrupts. His voice is quiet and soft, and Chrys found himself wanting to kiss him again.

He tears his eyes away from the angel, feeling like his heart is going to break under the realization he'd only just made. "Please, Gabriel. _Please_. Get into the ship and seal it up."

"No. No, because we're all going to fight," he heard Gabriel say. Chrys snapped his gaze around to him. He tried to object, but Gabriel plunges onward. "If my people want to stay here, they're going to have to learn how to fight those that wish them harm. This is the time to start, when back up is incoming," and dammit all, the angel has to be right. He doesn't say anything, but does give a small nod of acquiescence. He isn't sure Gabriel saw it, because he's looking past him. Chrys turned to see a group of villains incoming and starts counting, vaguely noticing Gabriel heading toward the group of angels now gathered in the shadow of their ship.

It takes almost no time at all before the villains are on them, and Chrys does his best to pull as many into a fight as he can, but he only manages to distract two, while the others land around the angels. He can't spare the focus to see what's going on down there, though. He can only hope they can all remain safe until help arrives.

Air combat isn't easy, and Argent's always been better at it than Chrys. Still, Chrys gives it his everything, bobbing, weaving, diving and shooting forward when need be. He manages to knock one unconscious with a hard enough punch to the side of his head. He doesn't pay attention to the villain falling from the sky, instead turning to focus on the woman that's now eyeing him warily.

"...I just want one. I promise to be nice to it..." she ventured.

"Yeah. Nice. Just keep it enslaved and use it for whatever depraved ideas your mind forms."

"What can I say? I'm curious about alien sex. Aren't you, hero-boy?" she taunted.

Chrys' lips pressed into a thin line, because honestly? Yes. But that's because he cares about the angel fighting down there with his people, the one he can't even take the time to glance at and ensure is still safe.

He deflects. "You're some kind of sick," he snarls back.

She raised an eyebrow, like she saw right through him. It's all he can stand, and he lunges.

They tussle in the air, and she's better at fighting this way than he is. She has the upper hand, and Chrys knew it. So he activated his impenetrable state, hoping that it adds to his weight, and lunges once more. And he caught her this time, around the middle. He pushes his energy and flight, hurtling them to the ground. He managed enough force that when he threw her bodily into the earth, it knocked her out.

Chrys stands back and looks around.

A six winged angel is on the ground nearby, scarlet wings spread limply around her.

"Fuck!" he yelled out, shooting forward toward her, hands glowing as he landed on his knees at her side.

Nothing. Not a single flicker. She's gone. Guilt and grief in equal measures fill him. And then anger. He makes to stand, to continue fighting, to try and save the rest of the angels, to save Gabriel...but there's a lance of pain as he pushes up. Something's in his back, and his legs give as it's pulled away.

Chrys blinks and gasps in air, but it's all...numb.

He tries again, and the sensation is even more distant. ' _Healer, heal thyself_ ,' his mind supplies.

And he tries. He tries, even though he doesn't know exactly what's going on. But whatever this is...he's already too far gone.

There's a flicker of fear in him. Just a flicker, because everything is just so _muted_.

There's a black tinge to his vision now, curling at the edges.

"I'm dying," he says. Or does he only think it?

And it's then that he realizes someone is in front of him while he's been distracted with what's going on with his body. His eyes move up slowly, meeting gold.

Wild and desperate, hot molten gold. The memory of the first time he'd seen them echoes through him, and they look almost the same now as they had then.

He's dying, and it's Gabriel in front of him. He almost feels his lips curling upward in a soft smile. Gabriel is here, and he thinks that this is okay. He doesn't hurt, not a bit, and Gabriel is here. But there's...there's just one thing. One more thing. He wants to feel it, one more time, before he goes. That rightness, that sense of home.

He somehow manages to bring his hand up, he's not sure how. Pushing his energy into it takes more effort than he'd ever had to put forward. He can feel his eyelids trying to close, but more than that, he feels Gabriel's hand clasping his own tightly. And then he feels Gabriel. Around him, in him. Oh, God, in him. He gasps a shuddering breath, because he's starting to feel everything again, it's not muted anymore, and Gabriel is pouring into him, and this isn't like before. The shadows in the corners of his eyes are chased away. His vision whites, and it's the last thing he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might post another chapter tonight. More than likely, it's going to wind up being tomorrow, though. Please don't hate me in the meantime?


	20. Chapter 20

It was exceedingly rare that consciousness didn't just snap into place for Chrys. So it was little wonder that he was awake and aware now. He didn't open his eyes yet, though. Because before he could, he immediately knew that he was not in his room. Usually that spelled out a bad situation for him. In addition, his memories were fuzzy, and he was having trouble reaching them.

His mask was still in place, he felt that. But his clothes were...well, different. His chest was pressed to whatever he was laying on, that was thinly padded. And there was something like linen pants covering his legs.

Chrys was suddenly aware of an additional weight on his back. In his back. He carefully kept himself from frowning as he tried to figure out what that was and--

Whatever it was, it moved. He started at that, eyes snapping open. In the same moment, there was a familiar hand on the middle of his back, and Argent's voice, but he didn't register the words because across from him, laying on his back on a wide bed of some sort, was Gabriel. He was unconscious, and he looked a little pale.

"What?" Chrys spoke, trying to grab onto his brother's words, though his eyes didn't leave Gabriel.

"I said, just stay still. You alright there, Chrys?" Argent spoke.

Chrys frowned a bit, catching Argent's tone. He sounded exhausted.

"What happened?" he asked instead of answering, still unwilling to look away from Gabriel.

Argent didn't answer for a long moment. It was enough for Chrys to finally look away and push up, turning to see his brother.

Even with Argent's mask in place, Chrys could pretty much see the bags under his eyes. "Argent?" he spoke.

Argent huffed out a breath. "I'm not entirely sure. I was flying to help you, and...your voice came over the com," he started. His voice was cracking and hesitant. Chrys' mind reeled. Why had Argent been flying to help him? What had--

Villains. A fucking swarm of villains. Chrys glanced back at Gabriel again, but he could see no visible injury, so he turned back to Argent, taking in a bit of the room as he did, sliding off the bed. Or medical table. This was some sort of medical station, he ventured, given how there were a few of these tables around the room, with equipment around them. He was on the ship, he guessed. His eyes met Argent's, and he waited.

"You said...you said you were dying," Argent spoke, his eyes leaving Chrys'. He looked fucking broken from that.

Chrys thought back again, pushing for the memories.

The scarlet winged angel, dead on the ground, and then a lance of pain in his lower back. And gold, his vision filling with gold and white.

Chrys moved his hand to his lower back, feeling around. No indication that there'd been a wound.

"I...I couldn't heal myself. It was bad," Chrys supplied. So how was he whole now? How was he alive?

"I'm not sure what happened, Chrys. When I got here, there was...there was piles of ashes around the ship, and it was sealed up tight. It took an hour for me to get them to open up. When they..." Argent cut off again, expression pained.

"Argent. Look at me. I'm alive, okay? I'm alright. Sore, yeah, but I'm alright. I know you don't want to think about all of this, but please, help me piece it together," Chrys prompted.

Argent met his eyes and nodded, seeming to steel himself.

"When they opened the ship, you were screaming. You were screaming for hours, Chrys."

Hours? "...How long was I out?"

"It's been about a week. Cas came out, but...something's going on with him, and he can barely handle being around the other angels. He gets fucking...angry or some shit, and he doesn't seem to know why. But he got some info outta 'em for me. They told him that from what they saw, Gabriel grabbed you, and you both lit up. I mean, supernova light shit or something. And then the light shot to the villains and fucking incinerated them, Sammy. ...The piles of ashes out there, are the villains that attacked the angels," Argent said. He looked more than a little freaked out about it.

Chrys was quiet for a moment, pushing at his mind. It was fuzzy, and that made sense. He'd been dying. He turned slightly, looking at Gabriel again. "He's been out this whole time, too, hasn't he?" he asked, his voice quieting.

"Yeah. Yeah, but he's looking better than he did. He's pale now, but...dude, he looked dead when I first got here. Like...ashen, or whatever."

Chrys frowned, then looked down, bringing his hands up and pulling at his energy. It immediately surrounded his hands, but...but it felt different somehow. He frowned at his hands, uncertain. Why did his energy feel different? ...Would it be safe to try and use it on Gabriel, to ensure he was alright?

Argent's hand was suddenly on his shoulder, and Chrys looked up at him. "That's not everything, Chrys," he spoke quietly. When Chrys raised an eyebrow to indicate he should continue, Argent sighed, and his eyes moved behind Chrys' back.

And Chrys felt that weird movement again. And then an odd almost prickling sensation as dread swept through him.

"Tell me that is not what I think it is."

"Apparently the angels have no explanation for how this happened. They don't know anything about what's going on here, and they're hoping Gabriel will have answers when he wakes."

"Argent. Tell me I do not have... _that I don't have fucking wings growing out of my back_ ," Chrys spoke, a lance of panic making his voice pitch high and uneven. He feels sensations of movement again, and Argent doesn't say anything, just meets his eyes, and--

Chrys turns and vomits. How the fuck did this happen? That's a change to his very DNA! ...Which would probably explain him screaming for hours. He didn't imagine that that would be a pleasant process to endure.

Argent's there, gently pulling him from where he's barely still standing, over a pile of vomit, and gently pushing him back onto the bed. "Easy, little brother. It's going to be alright. You're still you, yeah? It's going to be alright," Argent soothes.

And it helps. Chrys does feel just a bit calmer, because yeah, something monumental has changed about his body, and he's no longer human (he thinks), but it's still his mind, his soul or whatever, in his flesh. He swallows a bit and frowns at the residual vomit taste.

" ** _Eugh_** ," comes from the entrance to the room. Argent and Chrys both look over to see the angel with the two turquoise wings staring at the vomit on the floor. "... **I'm going to have to clean that up. ...Yay**."

" ** _Sorry_** ," Chrys said quietly.

The angel looked at him, opened his mouth, then shut it, eyes wide.

"Chrys?" Chrys looked at Argent. Argent's staring at him like he grew another head, which, no, he's just grown wings. Before he could ask, though, Argent spoke again. "Why are you speaking the freaky alien language?"

Chrys can feel his own eyes trying to turn into their best imitation of saucers. "Oh. Fuck. Fuck, how..." he started, looking from Argent to Gabriel. He wanted answers...but at the same time, he had a feeling that Gabriel would barely be able to help piece this together. "This is so complicated and weird, Argent," he breathed. He looked back at his brother. "...And I don't think that even when Gabe does wake up, that we're going to be able to figure it out," he finished.

Argent's eyes flash with concern at that. But then he nodded. "Alright. Well...whatever. If it's uncharted territory, then we'll just have to navigate it, won't we? ...You're my brother, Chrys. Even with whatever else you are now, you're still my little brother, and I'm not going to leave you alone with this," Argent assured.

Chrys found himself relaxing at the words. He can't help a smile. "Thanks. Jerk," he teases.

"Anytime, bitch," Argent fires back easily.

The wings are small, but apparently they've been growing steadily every day. It concerns Chrys, what is means for him, that he has two. He'll have to ask Cas about it. Presently, though, his wing span is about six feet from tip to tip.

Then angels are very eager to speak with him once they discover he knows their language, and he feels practically crowded as he sat cross legged on the bed.

Even though he knows their language now, however, some things don't translate for him, still. Re: wing language. Sefir's wings frequently do something that Chrys had seen Gabriel's wings do once...and Chrys isn't sure he likes the way the tips of the wings curl up, exposing the undersides like they do. It makes Chrys feel awkward, and he feels his own wings draw in close to their base, to his back, whenever this happens.

Sefir looks embarrassed, too, when it happens, so Chrys isn't sure this is something conscious on the angel's part.

Nariel, for all his complaints about cleaning up his vomit, is by far the easiest angel there to talk to. ...That's conscious, anyway.

Mefusa, Glips, and Jivi are kind enough, but they eye him like a great curiosity.

Argent just stands back, looking vaguely amused and somewhat bewildered, as Chrys talks to the angels.

Finally, though, they leave him be for a little while. Even Argent leaves, saying it's about time for him to go for his daily check in on Cas, and that he'll be back by morning.

When they're all gone from the room, Chrys slid from the bed and walked over to Gabriel slowly. He stared down at him, reaching up and brushing his hair back from his forehead carefully. "...What did you do? ...What did _we_ do? Wake up, soon, Gabe. I have no idea what's happening here," he whispered. He waited a moment after that, just watching the angel--the _other_ angel, because Chrys is one now, too--and then he pulled his energy forth, feeling over Gabriel. They don't touch, but he feels Gabriel's grace against his energy all the same. Chrys stilled, his eyes fluttering shut. There's a warm content feeling filling him. He revels in it for just a moment, then stretches his senses. He doesn't feel anything wrong with Gabriel...so now he just needs to wait for him to wake.


	21. Chapter 21

_"Fuck!" in a familiar voice cut through the victory of slashing through a villain's throat. Gabriel allowed a moment of distraction to turn and find Chrysalis in the fight surrounding them all. When he did, he found himself relaxing slightly at the sight of him by Kipa's side._

_His hands were lowering to clench into fists at his side, a look of devastation on his face as he looked at the still angel on the ground before him. It took a second for Gabriel to understand, his own eyes moving to Kipa's still form. Chrys had been unable to do anything; Kipa was dead. ...Gabriel had failed to protect his people on this foreign planet._

_Chrys made a move to stand, but aborted it halfway up. It drew Gabriel's gaze back to him. The human's face held anger, but it was fading quickly. There was a look of confusion, and then he was sinking back to his knees. Another human, a villain, was sneering and holding what must've been Kipa's blade in his hands. He lifted it to plunge it down into Chrys again._

_Gabriel didn't think. He just moved. A vague corner of his mind realized that he had never, not once, moved this fast before. He stabbed his blade through the front of the attacking human's throat. He didn't bother to pull it away, or to watch as the human fell. Instead, he moved in front of Chrys._

_The hero was staring blankly in front of himself, not seeing anything. "Chrys? Chrys, heal yourself. Come on, focus. ...Focus! Sa--"_

_"I'm dying."_

_Those two words cut through Gabriel and where he'd been afraid before, he was now panicked. "No. No, no, **no! Sam! Sam, please!** " he pleaded, bringing his hands up to cup the hero's face._

_Chrys' eyes came up to meet his and...and he fucking smiled. Why was he smiling? Gabriel was losing him! He felt tears sting his eyes, and almost missed the movement from their side. Almost, but he didn't. Chrys, Sam...he was holding up his hand, and it started glowing, more faintly than it'd ever been. Gabriel's eyes went to it, and he felt a sob wrench from his chest. He was losing this amazing human. The one that had so determinedly healed his brother, despite Gabriel injuring him, despite everything else that had gone on that first day. He'd been so determined to heal, to care for the broken alien under his hands, and in this moment, Gabriel realized he'd been lost on this human then._

_He pulled one hand from Sam's face, clutching the hand in his. His grace reacted, as it always did when they were like this, and for once, he didn't hold it back. He let it flow and surround Sam's soul, pour into his soul, and shit, it started hurting!_

_It hurt, but Gabriel didn't care. Didn't care if it killed him, because if Sam was dying, what was the point? Maybe that was fatalistic, maybe Cassie would kick his ass for thinking like that, but Gabriel just couldn't care, couldn't let go of Sam yet._

_His eyes found Sam's again as the connection between them became something more. Just...more._

_Sam's eyes slid closed, but Gabriel still felt him. He felt stronger now, than he had when Gabriel had first reached for him._

_It was then that Gabriel realized that he...he felt stronger too. In a way that was full of heat and hurt. Following the instinct that the human had wakened in him, Gabriel knew he needed to displace the excess energy. It took barely a second for him to decide just how to do that._

_The villains barely managed to get out the chokes of screams before they were black dust on the ground. Gabriel swayed at the dizzying sensation the disbursement of excess energy had left him with. His own eyes slipped closed, even as he vaguely heard a sound, a scream beginning to echo in the clearing. He tried to open his eyes again, but consciousness was pulled from him._

The memory came back to him as a dream and shot him up and out of sleep. His wings flailed wildly as he pitched to the side, falling off the surface he was on. His hands reached out, but there was no Sam near them. Immediately, he began to scramble unsteadily to his feet, trying to find the human, trying to figure out if he'd somehow, miraculously, survived.

He stilled as he spotted Nariel, who was staring at him in bewilderment.

" ** _Sam_** ," Gabriel spoke. Nariel frowned, tilting his head, expression slipping to curiosity. Right, right, " ** _Chrysalis_** ," Gabriel spoke again.

Understanding dawned on Nariel's features then. " ** _He's cooking in the kitchen_** ," he supplied. " ** _But_** \--"

Gabriel was already moving, not caring whatever else was being said. He needed to see Sam for himself, to ascertain his well being, to ensure he was definitely still alive.

When he swept through the mess hall, six other angels were there, and they all looked up. Sefir stood, but Gabriel paid him no heed, even as the captain called out his name. He swept through the door and into the kitchen, and pulled up short.

There was a strange angel in here. Strange in more ways than one. He was wearing white pants that almost hung low on his hips, and was shirtless. He had wings far too small for his frame, that were almost big enough to belong to a teen, and that for some reason still had a little smattering baby down on them, just across the arches.

Gabriel's mind blanked on the mission to find Sam as he took in those too-small wings. Even as small as they were, they were downright gorgeous, and promised to be even more amazing once fully grown...if they ever reached that way. As Gabriel stared over the deep chestnut and maple hues of the feathers, speckles of emerald flashing here and there along the feathers, he found himself wondering what could have stunted the growth of this angel's wings like this. The wingspan, he couldn't tell for sure, but it had to be less than twelve feet across.

It took another moment before he finally remembered why he was here. _Sam_. His eyes moved through the kitchen, trying to find the human. But it was only this angel that--

The angel turned, and Gabriel heard his intake of breath before he looked back to him. His eyes widened so much, it hurt. This wasn't an angel. This was Sam, and how had he missed that? _You were distracted by those beautiful wings_ , his mind taunted.

"You're awake," Sam--Chrys spoke, barely loud enough to be considered a whisper. His eyes were shining in relief.

"You're alive," Gabriel spoke, voice more steady than he'd have thought it would be.

Chrys frowned at that and nodded slowly. "...I'm not really sure how. Things are fuzzy. And..." he started, a wing flicking from behind his shoulders in clear agitation. "I'm not human, as I'm sure you saw. None of us really know what's going on," he spoke, volume at a normal level now.

Gabriel nodded slowly, eyes on the crest of Sam's left wing, that he could just barely see over his shoulder.

The door pushed open behind Gabriel slowly, and Gabriel stepped out of the way as Sefir stepped into the kitchen. His eyes went to Gabriel, then Chrys.

Chrys blinked and was moving suddenly, picking up platters and passing them to Sefir. " ** _We've all got a lot to discuss. Let's eat while we do_** ," he spoke.

Gabriel stilled, staring at Chrys. " _ **You speak Enochian now**_?" he blurted as Chrys passed him a platter as well.

" ** _As I said, a lot to discuss_** ," Chrys spoke with a faint trace of humor to his lips. The hu--new angel pushed at Gabriel's shoulder gently, and Gabriel turned to see Sefir holding open the kitchen door for them, despite how he was holding three different platters of food. Gabriel spotted chocolate chip pancakes on one and couldn't help but relax slightly. For whatever else was going on, he was relieved to see it was human foods that Sam was cooking.

The three of them carried platters out to where the other angels, including Nariel now, were waiting. As they set out the food, Gabriel noticed Chrys reaching up to his ear. ...To his com, he realized. A moment later, he was speaking. "Argent?" he began. He waited, then smiled a bit. "Yeah. Let Cas know? I'm sure he'd like to come by and see him. ...Shaddup. ...Dude! You...uhg, I don't wanna know. Eat breakfast and fly out, alright? ...Yeah, yeah, later, jerk," he spoke, before tapping the com again.

The angels seemed unperturbed by Chrys seeming to talk to air, and instead were loading up their own plates. Gabriel managed to snag two of the chocolate chip pancakes before they were all gone. He also snagged some scrambled, extremely cheesy eggs, a good few pieces of bacon, some strange toast that had weird chewy bits in it, but was absolutely delicious, and some fruit, too.

As they all began to eat, Chrys spoke up between bites of food. " ** _So, I woke up two weeks ago_** ," he began, looking over at Gabriel. " ** _And I was apparently out for about a week before that. ...How are you feeling_**?"

Gabriel's eyebrows shot up as he listened. He'd been unconscious for three weeks?? " ** _I...I feel good. Starving, but good_** ," he answered honestly.

Chrys nodded and seemed to relax a bit at that. " ** _There's not much we know, just what the others have told me_**. **_I mean...I know I was dying, and that you were there. The others_** ," he spoke, looking back to where the other angels were eating and listening, not interrupting. " ** _They said that we took each other's hands, and then we were glowing as bright as the sun before energy shot from us and...and burned the villains to ash in a mere second,_** " he said. He looked confused and a little shocked at that, even though he'd had time to adjust to it by now.

Gabriel took a slow bite of pancake, mulling over the information, even though he remembered it. When he spoke, though, it wasn't Chrys he addressed, but the other angels at the table. Sefir, Nariel, Mefusa, Glips, Jivi, Armaya, and Unti. " ** _In the time since Castiel and I arrived, we've come to discover that it's possible for our graces to react to a given human. When I say that, I mean that my grace unfurls on its own, and it's not a twist to bring it forward. There's no pain or discomfort at all, really_** ," he explained. The angels were stilling, listening with rapt attention. " ** _Cassie's grace does not react to Chrys, but it does to Argent. I haven't attempted to interact with Argent in that way, but I imagine my grace wouldn't react with him. But it does react to Chrysalis_**."

" ** _How_** \--" Sefir began, but Gabriel held up a hand to cut him off.

" ** _It's not only that_** ," he provided. " ** _There's also an...an instinct, I think, that rises with it. I'd resisted it before, but when Chrys was dying, I followed it, because_**..." he began, but he cut himself off, pressing his lips into a thin line. He wasn't ready to admit any of that out loud yet. Instead, he gave a dismissive flick of his wings and brought the subject back on track. " ** _In all my research back home, or even in idle conversation, I'd never heard of anything like it. This is all the information I can truly provide, I think. I don't know how it happens, or why. All I know is that in following the instinct, my grace poured through Chrys' being, and there was an influx of power with it. I had to get rid of it, it was too much...hence the villains being immolated_**."

They all listened to Gabriel, before resuming their meals. It was clear they all had questions, but Gabriel had given what information he could. He looked back over at Chrys finally, and the new angel was staring down at his food contemplatively. A second past before he met Gabriel's eyes. "My energy feels different now," he spoke in English. "...And whenever I reach out to make sure you're not in need of healing, I can feel your grace, even though I'm not touching you."

Gabriel blinked. That was...weird. He wondered what it meant. But after a moment, he decided it didn't matter. Whatever had happened, it meant that Chrys was still alive, still here. And that, that was what mattered.

Cassie swept into the mess hall when they were finishing up their meal, starting toward Gabriel. Gabriel stood, happy to see his little brother, but then Cassie halted and looked positively green.

Argent was steps behind him and halted. "Shit, Chrys? You cook bacon?"

"Uhm, yeah?" Chrys said, turning to see their brothers.

Argent was moving closer to Cassie in a protective way that had Gabriel's feathers ruffling.

"Just breathe through your mouth, Cas, and let's head back out of this room, okay?"

Chrys stood swiftly, wings up and feathers fluffed in alarm and concern, and he was moving after them. Gabriel was hot on his heels, wondering what was going on, but Chrys was asking that before they even made it into the corridor.

Argent shot a tight frown at him, worry in his expression. "Past few days, smell of bacon's been making him sick," he supplied.

Gabriel stared at Cassie's back as his little brother seemed to be fighting for control over his stomach.

Aggressive behavior in face of foreign beings, check. Sensitivity to certain food scents, check.

"Cassie," Gabriel spoke, wanting one more test.

His little brother turned to look at him, relief in his gaze, along with concern, and curiosity from the tone Gabriel had used.

Gabriel stepped forward, past Chrys, and into the space between Argent and Cassie. He raised his hand and placed it against Cassie's lower stomach.

In an instant, there was a blade against his throat, and Gabriel was pretty sure it was only familial bonds that kept him from death. He'd never seen a look like that in Cassie's eyes. In the next second, it was gone, his blade clattering to the floor as shock and horror flew through his expressions, wings twitch high in shock.

"Cassie, who'd you sleep with?" Gabriel asked quietly.

Argent jerked slightly beside them, taking a step back. Cassie frowned, wings starting to lower, confusion sweeping over his features. He wasn't putting two and two together. Gabriel would explain, he would, but--

"You slept with another angel, didn't you? Who?" Gabriel prompted again, still keeping his tone quiet, bordering on gentle.

Slowly, Cassie shook his head. "I...I have only lain with one being since our arrival, Gabriel. I do not understand, why--"

Gabriel's gaze shot over to Argent. Argent had had a guilty expression on his face, but when their eyes met, he squared his shoulders and met Gabriel's eyes with determination. Gabriel narrowed his eyes, but not in threat. In consideration.

They had differing number of chromosomes. This couldn't be possible.

But neither should Chrys being alive, being an angel now.

He looked back at Cassie again. Cassie, who looked like he was desperately trying to deny a conclusion that he was reaching. "Cassie...did your grace reach out to him while you two were having sex?" he asked plainly.

Cassie's eyes went wide, darted to Argent, and then danced back to Gabriel. He was starting to pale and look green again.

"So what? What's that got to do with anything? ...Cas?" Argent prompted, moving over and placing a hand on Cassie's shoulder. Gabriel wondered, vaguely, just what he'd missed over the past three weeks. But right now, Cassie was about to vomit. His stomach was clenching under Gabriel's hand.

"Easy, little brother. It's gonna be okay, alright? Try and calm down, deep breaths," Gabriel spoke gently.

It didn't help. Between one second and the next, Gabriel was jumping back as Cassie lost the battle with his stomach and hunched over, vomiting on the floor.

There was a worried noise from Chrys and he was moving forward, hands glowing. Gabriel wondered--

His answer was given when Chrys' wings snapped up in surprise, and a low, "Holy fuck," left his lips. And then louder and more shocked, "Holy fuck!"

"Someone tell me what's going on!" Argent growled, holding Cassie up carefully as he tried not to vomit a second time.

"Cassie's pregnant. Congratulations, daddy-o," Gabriel spoke, watching in something akin to satisfaction as the human paled.


	22. Chapter 22

The hallway fell silent for a moment following Gabriel's declaration. Castiel slowly straightened, standing back up from his hunch, and Chrys decided he didn't like the wild panic he saw there. He moved forward, sweeping Cas from Argent's grip and gently tugging him away from their brothers.

Gabriel made to follow, and how Chrys knew that without turning around, he was unsure, but he immediately shot a glare over his shoulder, feeling his wings come up in a defensive display. Gabriel stumbled a step, but then nodded, turning back to where Dean was staring straight ahead in shock. The message between them was clear, and had Chrys relaxing. _I'll take care of your brother, you take care of mine._

As he turned to continue guiding Cas away, he heard a sound of discomfort from behind them, followed by Nariel's voice. " ** _What is with you people and vomit?!_** "

Chrys hadn't gone back to Tower since he'd woken, and in that time, the angels had provided him with clothing (though the shirts were uncomfortable and didn't seem to fit right with his wings still growing), as well as his own quarters. This was where Chrys took Cas, and once they were inside with the door shut behind them, Chrys pulled off his mask, tossing it to the dresser at the side of the door, and then leading Cas to sit down on the impressively large bed.

Cas was looking shocky, and still like he was having an internal panic, so Sam pitched his voice low and gentle, slipping into the alien's native language so he didn't have to fight to understand the words. " ** _Easy, Cas. Just us in here. You and me. I'm not going to pretend to know what you're thinking, or how you feel, but I'm here to help you with it, all the same. All you have to do is talk. I'll listen_** ," Sam intoned.

As he'd spoken, Castiel's eyes had slowly come into focus, meeting Sam's. His lips quivered, and then tears spilled from his eyes. Sam's heart lurched for his friend and he gently reached out, taking Cas' hand and squeezing softly.

Castiel took a deep breath, let it out. Another breath, and he began. " ** _He's not going to want this. We're barely starting to get to know one another now, Sam. And because I pushed him into my bed, I'm pregnant, and he's--_** "

" ** _Dean has a child, you know_** ," Sam cut in. Cas froze, eyes wide in surprise. Sam frowned as he looked down. " ** _My nephew, Ben. He loves him to death, and we keep an eye out for him where we can, but...when Ben was six, there was an incident. A villain somehow found out about him. Dean had always been so careful, Lisa didn't even know he was a hero until then. ...They nearly died, the both of them. When Lisa found out about why they had been targeted, she flipped. Kicked Dean out of their lives. To keep them safe, we had a friend step in. Kismet approached Lisa with the offer of altering their memories...and she accepted_** ," Sam spoke, frowning at his lap. He looked back up at Cas. " ** _He'll want the baby, Cas. He loves kids, and once he stops being terrified for the both of you, he's going to be thrilled at the prospect of a family again. You'll have to give him time, and he might push at you at first, but he will want this, okay?_** "

Castiel looked infinitely saddened by Sam's words, but the panic was gone now. Slowly, his eyes went down to his lap. " ** _Are you...he'll.... Will he just want the child? Am I to_**..."

" ** _Cas, no. He cares for you so much. I haven't been there to see everything over the last three weeks, but when he comes here, I've seen how he's relaxed. He's not...he's not bracing himself against the world anymore. He's almost at...at peace or something. And he's always got this underlying...I don't know what to call it, but he comes here to check in with me, and then he's ready to just get back to Tower. ...To you, Cas_** ," Sam assured softly. When Cas nodded, Sam continued. " ** _But like I said, he's going to fight against this at first. He's going to be scared. For you, for the fledgling. For himself, because of the last time he had a family. So be patient and persistent, okay?_** "

" ** _Thank you, Sam_** ," Cas spoke, shoulders slumping.

Sam smiled at him warmly, reaching from his hand to his forearm and giving a couple of brotherly pats. Because really, they may as well be brother-in-laws now. And then he sighed softly. "...I am glad you're here, too. I've been wanting to talk to you. I could've asked Nariel, sure...he's the Chief Medical Officer and all, but...I think I'd be more uncomfortable having this conversation with him. ...As you've seen, I've got two wings. You and Gabe, you explained that that means certain things biologically. So I'm hoping you can explain further for me what that is, because...pretty sure that's going to be my life now."

Cas nodded, standing and moving around Sam. Sam stilled, feeling his feathers fluff a bit. Cas' voice held a smile as he spoke. "There is no need to be embarrassed, Sam. While your wings are still growing, they promise to be strong and beautiful already." Those words had Sam's feathers fluffing even more, and he felt the arches hunching forward just the tiniest bit as he subconsciously showed his shy hope in the face of the words.

"Uhm...do you...do you think..." he started, but then he frowned, shaking his head. "Nevermind. Uh, so...cycles? That's what Gabe called it. What is it, exactly?"

Cas moved back to sit in front of him again, looking pensive before he slowly began. " ** _Firstly, you should know that two winged angels are called Nesters. They are the ones that primarily bear children. There are a few rare six-winged angels that can bear children...but it's dangerous for them and the fledgling both,_** " Cas spoke, eyes moving to the wall, a faint echo of pain in him. " ** _The fledglings are often lost in those cases, and the given Sentinel then loses the ability to bear children as well_** ," he spoke.

"... ** _Gabriel_**?"

At Castiel's nod, Sam felt a lance of pain and sorrow for the angel that was unknowingly, unwittingly, holding his heart. He had been able to tell from Cas' expression, from his tone, that it was a subject close to home, and able to guess at it from there. Sam huffed out a long breath, then looked back to Cas. Cas was looking beyond him in something like surprise, and Sam carefully felt out his wings. They were lowered to a point that almost tugged painfully at his back as they expressed the sorrow he felt. Feeling uncomfortable in exposing his emotions like that, Sam pulled at them as hard as he could, moving them tight to his back.

The movement brought Cas' eyes back to his face, and then he looked at the wall again. " ** _As you are a Nester, you will endure a cycle, once every ten weeks or so. I've never heard of one lasting more than four days. I haven't found anything comparable in human biology. ...Your skin will warm until its unbearable. Your body will ache in its entirety. You will feel a need for another to satisfy you. It's a...biological drive, but it will override your common sense at times. ...I wanted none but Dean after I had him, but I reached for you anyway_** ," Cas recalled, feathers fluffing and cheeks tinging pink.

Sam nodded slowly, then frowned. "...There's more to it, isn't there? I mean, there has to be. When he came out to the ship back then, Gabriel had been able to tell that you and Dean had, uh...."

Cas nodded. " ** _Wing oils. As I'm sure you've discovered by now, you have glands on your wings that secrete oils. They help maintain the feathers for flight, and to keep them clean. During the cycle, the glands secret extra oils. ...Our kind are sensitive to the scent of wing oils, especially when they are produced in excess. It's essentially a sign to those around you that you are in cycle, and at your most fertile. Gabriel likely was able to pick up the scent of my wing oils on Dean at that time._** "

Sam nodded slowly. He was trying not to freak out. He already knew that it was a possibility that his body had changed more than what was visible, but hearing all of this was driving it home. He needed to check in with Nariel, get him to look his body over and determine if...if he...if he could--

"Sam," Castiel spoke, drawing his gaze up. Their eyes met, and Sam could tell that Castiel was guessing his train of thought.

"It's not normal," Sam said immediately. Then shook his head. "Not for me. Not for my...for the race I used to be. _Women_ bear children. Not men. Not me," he spoke.

' _But you kinda want this. You know it. Because you're totally smitten with a honey-eyed angel with magnificent golden wings. Because you want him to be able to have a family. And now? Now you can probably give that to him. ...Ya know, if he wants you too_.'

Castiel opened his mouth to speak again, but Sam shook his head. "Just...just a minor freak out, Cas. I'll be alright, I'll cope. I just need to get Nariel to look me over and see if this is really a complete species change. If I'm really a full-on **_Nester_**." He sighed, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. "What about you, man? You good with carrying the first-ever inter-species baby, there?" he asked.

Silence reigned for a moment. "I'm trying to figure it out," Cas answered quietly. Sam lowered his head to watch his friend. "...Gabriel asked about my grace reaching out to Dean. It did, because I was both fighting him, and fighting to be with him. So his energy was wrapped around his hands, and my grace reacted. I...I'd never felt anything like that, and I almost...I'm not quite sure what I almost did, but there was something that my grace wanted to do, and I was afraid of doing that much. I didn't know what it'd do to Dean...or to me. ...But given Gabriel's line of questioning, I can only assume that my grace somehow extrapolated information from his DNA and plugged in the gaps between our genetics...resulting in this pregnancy," he spoke, his hand moving then to lightly, almost gingerly, press against his lower stomach.

"...Can I...would you be alright with it and I tried to...sense things there?" Sam asked quietly. This was going to be a new family member. He wanted to assure himself of their health. When Castiel nodded, Sam wrapped his energy around his hands and leaned forward, hands hovering.

The flicker was probably the strongest thing he'd ever felt. "Wow," he breathed in response, gazing up at Cas with a bright smile. "I can't determine gender yet, but this little one's going to be totally kick-ass, Cas. They're so strong. I've never felt a life that strong before," he confessed.

Cas' expression morphed to one of bright wonder, his eyes falling to his own stomach. Love slipped into his gaze, and Sam felt his feathers fluff protectively. Whatever came next...he would protect Cas, and his niece or nephew. Dean would do the same, he knew. And Gabriel...Gabriel definitely would.

Gabriel....

Sam slowly sat back, smile still in place as he watched his friend, but he was frowning inwardly. Things there were as complicated as ever, especially with Sam's species change. He didn't like it, the thoughts that were crossing his mind. That he'd wanted Gabriel to have a family, and that now he could give it to the other angel. ...Because yeah, Gabriel had liked Sam's attention when Sam had been a human, but that probably had to do with the Sentinel being reliant on him and Dean. Or maybe on just the novelty of an inter-species fling.

Despite Cas' assurances that his wings were going to be beautiful, Sam couldn't find himself believing that. He couldn't catch much of a glimpse of them, but they looked like a dull brown to him. Boring. Gabriel's were golden and honey, and light through a glass of whiskey. Castiel's were a moonless midnight sky with swaths of nebulas and stars scattered amongst the feathers.

Sefir's were warm cream.

Nariel's were almost as beautiful as a peacock's display.

Mefusa's were stormy skies, complete with darker splotches that Sam thought signified rain.

Glips was a blushing sunrise, soft oranges and pinks.

Jivi's were similar to how Kipa's had been, a scarlet that was almost maroon, but with speckles of cream that rivaled Sefir's color.

Armaya was shades of lavender and lilac.

Unti was a viridian shade that almost brought Dean's eyes to shame. Almost.

But Sam? He was just...brown. He felt plain. As a human, he'd hardly been plain with his height and build, but as an angel....

Shaking his head, he brushed off the thoughts, renewing his smile as Cas finally looked up from where he'd been looking at his stomach. "Come on, let's get you something to eat. Pretty sure you need it, after losing everything earlier. Be mindful to keep a good amount of nutrition in your body, okay?" he said.

Cas nodded, and they both climbed from the bed, making their way back towards the mess hall.


	23. Chapter 23

When they went back through the corridors, Sam easily saw that Nariel had cleaned up the vomit. Poor guy.

He was surprised, when they entered the mess hall, to see the plates and platters gone. He was usually the one, over the past couple of weeks, that cleaned up after the angels. He pressed on into the kitchen and drew up short, almost making Cas crash into him.

Sefir was cleaning up the kitchen. And while that was surprising, it wasn't what had made him stop like he had. It was an overwhelming _protect_ feeling. As Sefir turned to look at them, Sam found himself moving automatically to block Castiel from view, feeling his own wings flaring up over his shoulders. Where the hell was this coming from? He had the presence of mind to be embarrassed, but this feeling was almost strong enough to override that.

Sefir's eyes moved slowly from Sam's face, to his wings, something passing through his eyes. And then Sefir's wings were doing that weird curl thing, and Cas was letting out a vicious snarl from behind Sam.

" ** _He is not yours, cease propositioning him_**!" Cas snapped. Sam blinked, stunned, even as Sefir's wings snapped tight to his back and the Sentinel looked away with a strange mixture of emotions on his face.

" ** _My apologies_** ," he muttered, abandoning the kitchen cleanup to escape via the far door.

At once, Sam felt himself relaxing, even if he was confused. He swayed slightly from the rush of emotion and sensation, and turned to Castiel. "...What the hell was all of that?"

Castiel looked up at Sam, residual anger fading from his expression, slowly replaced by concern. "...It would seem your _**Nester**_ instincts are particularly strong, Sam. It's rare, but not unheard of, for a **_Nester_ **to protect another pregnant person, particularly those that they--" Cas paused, looking down with a faint shy smile, "that they consider family," he finished quietly.

Sam nodded slowly. "Okay. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But uh...you mean to tell me that every time Sefir's wings have been curling like that over the past coupla weeks, he's been...basically asking me out?"

Cas' anger flared through his eyes again. "He's been doing it this whole time?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

"...I had a guess at what it meant, Cas. I didn't know for sure, but...I didn't ask because Sefir seemed embarrassed or uncomfortable every time it happened. He probably is trying to figure out why he's reacting like that to someone so plain. And besides...it's not like I was reacting to it, far as I could tell," Sam responded, turning away to finish clean up and start cooking.

Silence met his words, and Sam figured that Cas just didn't have anything to say in response.

He was proven wrong by the time he started pulling out the ingredients for French toast.

"Sam. You are not plain. Why do you think something like that?" he spoke.

Sam looked over at Cas with raised eyebrows. "Seriously, Cas? Look, as a human, sure, I'm something to look at, but as an angel? My wings are freaking brown. That's like...a boring natural color, and everyone else I've seen have these amazing colors in their wings, and I--"

"You have not properly seen your wings yet, and you will not until they have grown another couple of feet. They are not _plain_ , Samuel," Cas started, making Sam still as Cas used his full name. He'd never done that...Sam hadn't even thought he knew his name was a shortened version in the first place. Castiel took a breath, and then his voice was filled with conviction as he continued. " ** _Your wings are still coming in, still developing, but the primary color is the deepest, loveliest shade of chestnut I've ever seen, with a red tinge to it. The feathers have highlights of maple as well...like sunlight through a bottle of maple syrup. And there's different shades of green speckling along the shafts of your feathers as well. Emerald, hunter, viridian.... Your wings are beautiful, Sam. You have no need to doubt that_**."

Sam made a strained sound of acknowledgement at Cas' words. He wasn't sure about that...but Cas sounded so sure of it, he at least believed that Cas believed it. He began to resume mixing the custard for the toast.

"...You told Sefir I wasn't his. ...Cas, you implied I was someone else's. Why wo--"

"You are. Sam, surely--" Cas began, but when Sam looked up at him, bewildered, the angel cut himself sure, as if realizing something. Something that had him looking deeply upset, and had his wings slacking downward a bit. "I see. ...It is not my place to discuss this with you," he finished.

Sam frowned. "Really? Cas, you're family. ...If I'm honest, you were family before you ever slept with Dean," Sam spoke, starting to heat up a pan now. "I don't know why you think you need to keep this from me."

"It's not that I wish to keep anything from you, Sam. It is that this is not my conversation to have."

Sam frowned at the bread as he dipped it. He felt a flicker of hope blooming in his chest as his mind reeled and reached conclusions. Finally, he squashed it down and shook his head, letting out a snort. "Gabriel doesn't want me, Cas. Don't even think that," Sam spoke quietly. The statement caused Cas to let out a wounded noise from his throat, and he heard the other angel take in a breath to start talking, so Sam cut him off. " _Don't_. ...Don't, Cas, because...because if you're wrong, and I hope for that for even a second, it's going to fucking _break_ me. Can you understand that? I won't be able to take it. Things being as they are now is fine. Better than fine," Sam spoke. It was a lie. It really kinda hurt, to be honest. But this hurt, he could bear. This hurt wouldn't drive him away from everything he knew. But hoping for something that Gabriel would never give? That would send Sam hurtling to the other side of the planet, away from his brother, away from Cas, and the life growing inside of the other **_Nester_**. And away from whatever companionship there was between Gabriel and himself now.

The rest of the cooking went on in silence. He plated the food and turned to Cas with it.

Cas was staring at the floor when he turned, looking lost. Sam moved until the sight of the plate between them brought Cas' eyes upward. Sam gave him a warm smile. "It's alright, Cas. Now, take this and go eat. I'm going over to the medical station to see just how much my body has changed, alright?"

Cas gave a nod, taking the plate, and heading out into the mess hall. Sam followed him through the door, then continued out into the corridor.

He was unsurprised to find Nariel there when he arrived. The angel looked up and eyed him warily. " ** _You're not feeling ill, are you?_** "

Sam chuckled and shook his head. " ** _No. No vomit this time, Nariel. ...Actually, I was hoping you could look me over. We've already established my DNA has changed, otherwise I wouldn't be growing wings, but...but Castiel explained my status to me, that I'm a...that I'm possibly a Nester? And I wanted to see just how much of that was true...just how many changes my body went through while I was out those few weeks ago_** ," he explained.

To this, Nariel nodded, looking like he'd been expecting Sam to come to him about this before now. He gestured to a table, and while Nariel scanned him with various device, Sam spoke, explaining to Nariel about human biology. The angel's wings gave surprised gestures as he listened, eyes darting to Sam's face to try and determine if he was being serious or not as he spoke, but ultimately, he just listened as he worked.

It was a while after he was done with the various devices before Sam finished explaining how human bodies worked. Nariel was quiet for a moment longer, seemingly tucking away all the information for later processing, before he spoke. " ** _Well, if I didn't know better...and if your wings were further developed, I'd have thought you were born an angel, a Nester. While your wings are still coming in, your internal organs are fully developed. While I'm sure it may disturb you, given that males of your species cannot bear children, I can assure you that now? You can_** ," Nariel spoke. Here, his eyes darted toward the wall. " ** _I suppose that, should you wish to act on biological imperatives, Sefir would be happy to assist you._** "

Sam blinked a few times as he slowly sat up. "... ** _Nariel_**?" he started. When the angel looked back at him with a blank expression and eyes that betrayed nothing, Sam shook his head and flashed a small, sad smile. " ** _Sefir holds no interest for me. ...And I'm sorry I stole his attention from you, I truly am._** "

Nariel's eyes widened, his face turning pink, wings fluttering wildly behind him as the feathers fluffed. " ** _I_** \--"

" ** _I won't say anything, don't worry. ...But maybe you should? Or...wait, I've got an idea_** ," Sam said, grinning broadly. " ** _Tell me, are two Nesters unheard of?_** "


	24. Chapter 24

Gabriel had taken Argent away from the ship, and they'd spent the entirety of the day getting completely sloshed. Fortunately, Argent seemed to have the presence of mind to order food with their drinks, and when they went to Tower that night, he made Gabriel drink three bottles of water, back to back, and swallow some pills as well.

It didn't stop Gabriel from waking in some of the worst pain of his life the next morning. Anytime he'd felt pain like this before, it'd been brief and fleeting, but this was persistent. His skull throbbed, his stomach roiled, and even his wings ached as though he'd flown the entirety of the planet thrice over.

There was a noise from his doorway, a chuckle.

"I got an angel hungover. I don't know if I should be proud of myself, or pity you," Dean's voice came.

"Pity. Pity me. It hurts," Gabriel croaked pitifully.

Another chuckle, closer to where Gabriel was sprawled with his arm slung over his eyes. "Alright, I'll pity you, and take pity on you. I turned off the light, and I've got some water and Tylenol for you...but Sam's a good cure for a hangover, so we should head back to the ship." There was a pause for a moment, and then, "And I need to talk to Cas, I guess," came in a wary, almost defeated tone.

It made Gabriel move his arm, and he was thankful for the darkness that, honestly, was still too bright. "...You didn't tell me much yesterday. Just that you had a family before, and that you didn't want to lose another one," he said.

Dean tensed, frowning and holding out the pills. Gabriel sat up, took the pills, then bottle of water from Dean's other hand. Once he had them swallowed down, Dean spoke up again. "Yeah, I was hoping you'd black out and forget that. ...I almost had a wife, and I had a little boy. And they were attacked. Sam and I, we got there in time, but they wound up injured," the human confessed, turning to sit on the bed, staring at the wall across from him. "I couldn't keep from her why they'd been attacked. She didn't know before that, that I was a hero. But when I told her, she...Lisa lost it. She accused me of...so many things," Dean spoke, his head dropping to his chest, practically hanging down. "She kicked me out, told me never to come near her or our--her son."

"Dean, I--"

"I had hope for a bit after that, that maybe she just needed time, but when I tried to reach out a couple of weeks later, to apologize, to see if she wanted any sort of answer about...I don't know, anything, she...she slammed the door in my face. She was cold and indifferent as she did it, not even angry. ...So I asked another hero, one that has some talent with mind manipulation, to contact her and offer to alter her and Ben's memories."

Gabriel felt sick. Dean didn't need to say anything further, because Gabriel already knew. He reached out and gripped Dean's shoulder tightly. "Look, I don't know if you want anything with my little brother or not, but Dean-o...Cassie wouldn't cut you out of the kid's life. No matter what may or may not happen between the two of you, or whatever may try and come after them, Cassie isn't the type to cut you out because of it. You're the kid's other parent, and no matter how upset Cassie could get at you, he wouldn't deny your child the right to know you."

Dean's head slowly came up, but he didn't look over at Gabriel. "I can't lose another family, Gabe. I can't," he spoke, his voice hollow and broken. "...You might want to kill me for this, but...while you were out, Cas and I have been getting closer, and...I don't know what exactly he wants with me, but this? I want it with him, whatever it may wind up being. I want to..." Dean turned his head to the side, away from Gabriel. "I want to love him. I want to be with him. And this kid on the way, it's complicated, but knowing I could have that with him? I...God, I'm being such a chick, but I want it. And I'm honestly terrified. What if you're wrong? Hell, what if Cas doesn't even want to keep it?"

Gabriel blinked. "What do you mean?"

Dean finally turned back to him, and his eyes were shining with barely-restrained emotion. He opened his mouth, then seemed to realize something and shut it with a frown. He took a breath and spoke. "Women who get pregnant sometimes don't keep their babies. ...It's called abortion. You...I don't know if you're going to understand it. Sometimes, the woman flat out doesn't want a baby. Sometimes there's medical reasons why they can't birth it. Sometimes, it's because they were raped, taken against their will. Sometimes, they can't afford a child, or it's just not the right time in their life. And they have the right to that choice. So they do an abortion, and give up the child."

Gabriel blinked again, feeling an odd sort of horror creeping along his awareness. Having almost had a child once, he can't understand, he can't fathom it. In his culture, on his planet, if you were with child, that was that, unless you miscarried. To be purposefully doing such a thing...Gabriel didn't understand it.

"Why?" he breathed, even though Dean had just given him a bunch of plausible reasons. "It's a child!" he spoke, starting to feel the beginnings of an impotent rage swelling inside him.

Dean let out a sound in his throat and frowned. "Look, this is a point of contention on our planet. Some people share your view, that life starts at conception, and that aborting a fetus is murder. Other's think of it as a right to do what they will with their body, that they have the right to decide against supporting another being they can't have, or don't want," he said.

Gabriel closed his eyes and tried to calm down. He couldn't do anything to change this, he knew. Slowly, he shook his head. "On our planet, when someone becomes pregnant, there's an instinct to protect the new life," he said, opening his eyes and meeting Dean's gaze. "No one purposely loses a child. It would go against our very selves to do so. I can't...I can't understand here. I can try, but...this is going to be one of the places where there is a great disconnect between our cultures. ...But as such, you should know, Cassie would never do that. He will want this child. ...Your child," Gabriel ventured.

There was a spark in Dean's eyes at that. Hope, Gabriel realized. And he smiled.

They each took a shower and dressed, Argent kind enough to help with the fastenings of his shirt, and then they made their way back toward the ship. Gabriel was panting from the strain and pain by the time they landed.

The ship was open already, and Meadow and Stag were standing outside of it. So was Chrys, speaking with them, a warm smile on his face.

"Hey bro...need a hangover cure, please!" Argent called out, stepping forward. It took Gabriel a moment to follow. Chrys' wings were growing, he realized after they'd landed. Because they were noticeably bigger, even from just yesterday. Something about that pleased him, and he found himself wanting to see them fully grown.

They'd be amazing.

Tearing his eyes from Chrys' wings, he neared and saw Chrys reaching glowing hands toward Argent. Gabriel waited patiently, giving a grateful nod to Argent as the human gestured to Gabriel when Chrys was done with him.

Chrys blinked and frowned at his brother before stepping toward Gabriel. "I can't believe he got you drunk," he muttered. Gabriel shrugged, watching him and keeping a tight control on his own wings.

"He needed a drinking buddy," Gabriel supplied.

" ** _Chrysalis_**?" came from the ship. And Gabriel blinked at the emotions he felt from Chrys' energy. Surprise, a hint of wariness, and then determination. The pain was gone by that point, so Chrys withdrew his energy, his emotions going with it, as he turned with a bright smile to Nariel.

And Nariel was grinning up at Chrys, like there was no one else in the world.

What the absolute fuck had Gabriel missed??

He was vaguely aware of Mefusa and Sefir coming out of the ship as well. Sefir made to approach Gabriel, to speak with him, but his steps faltered when Chrys....

_When Chrys' wings curled coyly in Nariel's direction._

Gabriel's eyes went wide, and all eyes landed on Nariel as the angel returned the gesture with a happy grin.

"Uh..." Argent let out from nearby as he watched the way the angels were looking at Chrys and Nariel.

Chrys blinked and looked back at Argent, then shrugged and turned back to Nariel, stepping toward him. As they neared, they reached out with their hands, fingers intertwining. From the corner of his eye, Gabriel noticed a surge of shock go through Sefir's wings.

Gabriel imagined his feathers weren't in the best state right now, either, and he shut his eyes, taking a second to soothe his feathers and contain the pain shooting through his heart.

When he opened his eyes, Nariel was tilting his head up toward Chrys, and Chrys was leaning down. Fuck, he couldn't watch this! He looked away quickly, and found himself meeting Argent's confused and concerned gaze. Gabriel tensed and scowled in return, daring Argent to so much as breathe a word.

And then there was a thump of flesh hitting metal, and Gabriel looked back over to see Sefir holding Chrys against the ship, wings high and aggressive.

Chrys, however, was staring back coolly. " ** _As Castiel already told you, I am not yours. Release me at once, Sefir. You don't want to know what sort of things a former human can do to an angel new to this planet_** ," he threatened lowly.

Gabriel's wings jerked behind him. Sefir had...had approached Chrys like that?? It was one thing for Chrys to choose someone else, but to hear that someone had made unwelcome advances on him...Gabriel really wanted to tear into the ship's captain in that moment.

But Sefir released Chrys and stepped back, and his wings were twitching in confusion. Gabriel looked back and forth between them, wondering just what was going on here. But then Nariel was carefully sidling around Sefir, eyes looking over Chrys carefully. " ** _I'm alright_** ," he heard Chrys assure, barely audible over the distance between them.

"Okay, that's it. Chrys, what the fuck is going on??" Argent demanded.

Chrys looked over at him, but his answer was given when he glared at Sefir. "Some people don't know how to read their own feelings, that's all."

"...You're being deliberately confusing."

"Yeah, I know. Cas is inside, in my quarters," Chrys supplied, looking back at Argent expectantly.

For his part, Argent only shifted from one foot to the other for a few seconds before he moved past everyone and headed into the ship.

Slowly, with twin glares being shot at him from Chrys and Nariel, Sefir made his way to Gabriel. He looked infinitely confused, and Gabriel, while confused as well, didn't have it in him to have mercy on Sefir. " ** _You approach Chrys again, I will gut you_** ," Gabriel promised quietly when Sefir was close enough that no one else would overhear.

Sefir looked up at him, then frowned and looked away, wings shifting in an unsettled manner. Finally, he shook his head with a sigh. " ** _We are beginning to grow restless, Gabriel. This clearing isn't large enough for our flights, for us to truly stretch our wings. We need to move somewhere else_**."

" ** _Argent and Chrys already have someone working on that. Argent told me about it yesterday, though things are a bit hazy. There was uh...alcohol involved. But supposedly it's almost ready, and it's relatively secure without being restricting_** ," Gabriel supplied.

Sefir looked at him again, surprised, and a small smile curled around his lips. " ** _You were right_** ," he said. When Gabriel tilted his head, Sefir continued. " ** _These humans, they are better than us. Our kind would have destroyed them or turned them away, were the roles reversed. Instead, they allow us to stay, and are providing us with a home_**."

Home.... Gabriel's eyes moved past Sefir to Nariel and Chrys. An ache filled his chest, pulsed into his grace.

Suddenly, Chrys' eyes snapped up to him, wide and filled with hurt. The new angel then frowned, tilting his head in curiosity, before something Nariel was saying drew his gaze back down and away. ...What had that been?

Gabriel pushed away the ache and looked back at Sefir. " ** _You should only have to remain here another week before everything is finished_** ," he spoke, then moved to head into the ship and find his little brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the whole abortion thing, but it flowed out, and I know better than to test my muse's patience and deny something that flowed so easily.


	25. Chapter 25

Chrys felt like he was good at this. This pretending, this subterfuge...this complete and utter deceit. He didn't know where it was coming from, honestly, but his desire to help Nariel get through to Sefir drove him forward.

Sefir was already reacting, which was promising. Maybe the angel wasn't even aware of what he felt, then? Chrys was pretty sure that was the case. But Chrys kept it up, the flirting, the touches, the public kisses shared with Nariel.

In private, Nariel disclosed his discomfort with the affection, and Chrys gently reminded him that it was a means to an end, and nothing more. Nariel had nodded, and looked more than a little relieved at that.

But Argent and Cas were both shooting him dirty glances that Chrys caught from the corners of his eyes, during meal times when he sat close to Nariel, curled toward him and whispering flirtations.

And then there was Gabriel. Gabriel turned and walked away every time he spotted Chrys, especially if Nariel was around as well. Cas had taken to fixing up a couple of plates and leaving the mess hall to find his brother, during meal times. Argent would stare after him, in concern, but stuck around the mess hall with the angels that didn't understand a lick of what he said, for some reason.

At the end of the week, Argent finally decided to actually talk to Chrys, only to say, "Pack the angels up. We need to get this hunk of metal to their new home."

"Argent--"

"You've fucked up, Sammy. I don't even want to talk to you right now," Argent barked in return, before storming off.

Chrys blinked, staring at his retreating back. He was still standing there, trying to figure out exactly what was going on with his family, when a soft touch on his arm brought his gaze around to Nariel.

" ** _Oh, hey. Uh...we need to go talk to Sefir. The place we've been working on is finally ready. Time to get out of here_** ," Chrys said, giving a smile.

Nariel, used to seeing Chrys' deceptive smiles now, frowned instead of moving toward the bridge. " ** _Chrysalis, what's wrong?_** " he asked instead.

Chrys frowned and shook his head. " ** _I'm honestly not real sure. I...I haven't had a chance to really go and explain to Argent, Cas, and Gabe what we're doing, and Argent's pissed at me about our little charade. Which, ya know, given the way he and Cas have been acting, that's really fucking hyp_** \--"

" ** _Chrys. I think you might be an idiot_** ," Nariel suddenly interrupted. Chrys spluttered, trying to figure out what the hell Nariel meant, when the angel continued. " ** _I honestly thought you were using this game of ours to your advantage as well, but you have no clue, do you?_** "

It clicked then, and he shook his head. " ** _No. No! You're all wrong! I don't know what the hell's going on, but you're all wrong! Gabe doesn't_** \--"

" ** _He does_**."

" ** _No_** \--"

" ** _Why would you think he doesn't?_** " Nariel tried instead.

Chrys felt his chest heaving, his larger-by-the-day wings spreading high, feathers fluffed in agitation. He could only focus on his breathing and shake his head. Nariel's eyes went past Chrys for a second, and Chrys guessed he was looking at his wings, before he met Chrys' gaze again.

" ** _Why would you think Gabriel doesn't care for you?_** " he asked again.

Chrys' hands went up into his hair, pulling hard enough to threaten to rip the strands right out. " ** _Because_** ," he ground out, trying to force the hard truth out of himself and into the air between them. " ** _it's practically Stockholm Syndrome! Argent and I were his only real point of contact for months. We kept him and Cas, protected them where we could, gave them anything they wanted, and that's all there is! An attachment born out of necessity, not actual emotion, Nariel!_** "

" ** _But we've been here for over a month now, Chrys. And he's interacted with us plenty in that time. If that was the case, wouldn't it be past by now?_** "

Chrys gave a humorless laugh. " ** _But it is, don't you get that? He's realized it now, that's why everytime_** \--"

"Sam."

Chrys froze at the voice from behind him. No. No, no, no, he couldn't face this, couldn't be here, couldn't turn and see--

Between one blink and the next, there was a wrenching in his gut, and Chrys was stumbling over uneven ground. He twisted and turned, spotting a desert dune on either side of him, hot sun beating onto his back and wings. ...How had he gotten here? The blind panic of seconds earlier began to subside as he slowly took in his surroundings.

He wasn't certain how he'd gotten here, could only assume it had to do with how his energy felt different now. Maybe he had new powers he needed to work out. ...Alone, he decided.

He reached up and pulled the com from his ear, crushing it in his hand and dropping it to the ground. He stretched his wings for a moment, allowing them a few flaps to exercise them a bit, before he pitched into the air slowly. Life wasn't going to be easy from now on, but it was infinitely better than going back at this point.

\--

The past week had been hard. His heart ached in a way that he barely managed to keep from reaching into his grace. Because every time it did, Chrys would like at him like he knew what he was feeling. ...And then he'd turn away like it didn't matter, usually with Nariel distracting him.

Gabriel couldn't help but be bitter. Especially since, he recalled, Nariel had flirted with him as well, however small a gesture it was, at one point.

So, Gabriel took to avoiding Chrys at every turn. Sure, it was cowardly, but he didn't want to risk his heartache spilling into his grace and Chrys somehow freaking _sensing_ it, again. He especially didn't want to catch him alone and be subjected to the conversation of Chrys somehow picking up on any emotion that reached deep enough to hit his grace.

He was rounding the corridor to visit Cassie, when everything came to a head. More or less, anyway.

Around the bend, he spotted Chrys, with Nariel right in front of him. He paused, seeing Chrys' feathers fluffed in agitation. Nariel's eyes met his, then, and Gabriel made to back up, to leave, when a small gesture at Chry's hip made him pause. Nariel was holding up a hand in a signal for him to wait.

Concern for Chrys was the only thing that made him halt.

Nariel's eyes went back to Chrys, and the next words stunned Gabriel.

" ** _Why would you think Gabriel doesn't care for you?_** "

Gabriel nearly gasped and stumbled when, for the first time without Chrys' energy manifesting, he felt the other man's emotions. They slammed into him hard. Panic, fear, despair, smothering down something else that Gabriel couldn't reach, couldn't understand.

Chrys was reaching up and gripping at his hair, and the movement was enough to bring Gabriel's senses back online.

" ** _Because_ _it's practically Stockholm Syndrome! Argent and I were his only real point of contact for months. We kept him and Cas, protected them where we could, gave them anything they wanted, and that's all there is! An attachment born out of necessity, not actual emotion, Nariel!_** "

" ** _But we've been here for over a month now, Chrys. And he's interacted with us plenty in that time. If that was the case, wouldn't it be past by now?_** "

Chrys shook his head with a laugh that twisted at Gabriel's heart, speaking again. " ** _But it is, don't you get that? He's realized it now, that's why everytime_** \--"

Gabriel couldn't allow this to go further, couldn't let Chrys continue to doubt how he felt.

"Sam," he intervened.

But he shouldn't have. The panic and fear ratcheted higher suddenly.

Gabriel stepped forward, reaching for Chrys...but he was suddenly gone. Just...gone. Empty space met Gabriel's hand and he spun, wings snapping in startled surprise.

"... ** _Wha...where has he gone?_** " Nariel spoke, looking at Gabriel.

Gabriel met his gaze and slowly shook his head. "... ** _I don't know_**." The emotions from Chrys had cut off when he'd vanished, likely muted by distance. ".. ** _.I need to tell Argent. And you're coming and explaining just what the fuck is going on!_**" Gabriel snapped. Nariel looked more than a little abashed as he nodded, following Gabriel closely.

They entered the quarters Cassie had taken to using, once they'd discovered his pregnancy, to find Argent sitting intimately close to his little brother. Gabriel had seen them like this...and more, unfortunately, over the past week. When they entered, however, Argent stood swiftly, allowing Cassie some space and blinked, frowning a bit at whatever he saw on Gabriel's face. He opened his mouth, but Gabriel cut him off. "Chrys is gone. He literally vanished into thin air."

"What? Chrys can't--"

"Well, he did," Gabriel interrupted, before turning to where Nariel was closing the door behind him. " ** _Start talking_** ," he ordered.

As Nariel began, Gabriel ignored Cassie translating for Argent in the background.

" ** _Chysalis came to me for a medical examination, to see if his transformation was a true, complete one. And as we were speaking afterward, I...I bitterly suggested that Sefir would be happy to procreate with him_** ," Nariel began, looking away in shame. "... ** _He apologized to me. I was blaming him for Sefir propositioning him, and he apologized to me. And then he suggested a ploy to make Sefir jealous for my affections_**," the angel spoke, shaking his head as if bewildered.

Gabriel stilled at this information. ...It'd all been an act. One that Chrys probably never would've engaged in if he'd known, or believed, how Gabriel felt. The self-sacrificing hero didn't only use his abilities to protect people bodily...but his whole being to try and bring another happiness.

"Fuck, I'm so in love with him," Gabriel spoke to himself.

It didn't seem he'd been heard, at least, with the way Argent was cussing up a storm at the information. Gabriel turned, watching the human pace back and forth.

"Did you try his com yet?" Gabriel interrupted.

Argent halted, then reached to his ear immediately. "Chrys? ...Chrysalis, answer me, dammit!" Another couple of taps at his ear, and, "Queenie? Hey, we've got a situation. Chrys...I don't know what happened, but apparently he vanished into thin air, and...can you just try and track him for me? ...What do you mean, offline? I thought even powered-off.... ...Fucking hell. Do you-- Heh, yeah, I know, stupid question. Let me know what you find? ...Thanks, Queenie." Argent looked over at Cassie, then back to Gabriel. "He's broken his com unit, but Moon Queen is running some...uh, she's doing computer stuff, to try and track him down. He's going to stick out now, anyway, with the wings, so I don't think it'll be long before we find him, okay?"

Gabriel nodded shortly, then turned back to Nariel. " ** _You. For fuck's sake, go and talk to Sefir. I don't give a fuck what your reasoning is for using Chrys like you did, even if he was the one to suggest it. Go talk to Sefir, and knock some damned sense into his fool head_**," he ordered heatedly. Nariel nodded, shame written over his features, and slipped back out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anna? anna, I'm sorry. ANNA! I'M SORRY T_T


	26. Chapter 26

Sam found himself grateful when he spotted the oasis. He knew it wasn't a mirage, because he wasn't that far gone yet, but damned, was he ever thirsty!

The water was cool, too, as he scooped it up into his hands and poured it down his parched throat. As he drank his fill, he decided to hunker down here for the night, and spend the evening exercising his energy, trying to feel out what new abilities he had.

It barely took an hour to figure out how to access the teleportation trick. That was going to come in handy.

It took another three hours, however, before he found another ability. It was quite by accident, but he'd been pulling and stretching his energy, trying to test out new ways to use it...and a weight suddenly dropped from his back. Startled, he opened his eyes and looked over his shoulders. And about had a panic attack. He couldn't see or feel his wings. "No, no...calm down, Sam. They're...just..." he spoke to himself, tugging at his energy in the same way he'd just been doing. At once, the weight of his wings settled back over him as they reappeared. But...but something was...holy fuck! They were larger than they'd been when he'd landed in the oasis! Sam gaped, slowly stretching them up over his head and staring.

His breath caught as the sunlight beamed down on them, causing the various shades to shimmer. ...And maybe it was vain, but...yeah, Cas had been right. His wings were kinda...beautiful.

He frowned, an aching pang of loneliness filling his chest. It didn't matter. It didn't matter if his wings were something to be admired or not. He wasn't going back. He sighed, slouching forward where he sat. At least he had a way to hide his wings now. He'd blend in with society, wherever he wound up. Picking up a new language would be a bitch, but Sam was pretty sure he wasn't in America anymore, so English wouldn't be an option.

Sam straightened up and started practicing with hiding his wings. He sat there for hours with the disconcerting sensation of not being able to feel them. Well into the night, he kept them hidden, with no real strain. When he found himself waking to his wings still being hidden away, he decided that it was a simple matter of sweeping his energy over them and relaxing. There was no active need to keep pulling at his energy, and that was good.

Still, though, now that he had wings in the first place? It was uncomfortable not to feel them. So, once again, he tugged his energy, and blinked as his back almost felt heavy now. He glanced back and his eyes widened.

They were huge now. Sam was willing to bet that, in the time he'd had them hidden, they'd grown to their full length. Slowly, he spread his wings wide. The span was impressive, easily forty feet with the way he had them stretched. He stood and pulled them back in. His primaries swept the ground, and Sam frowned at that, before huffing a sigh. Not much to be done for it.

Sam moved and took a few drinks of water, hid his wings away, and took to the skies again.

It was a few hours later, and he was starting to get desperate for water again, when he spotted a city. He landed in a backyard of a house near the outskirts and took off with a shirt being tugged over his torso. It was too small, but it would do the trick, for now.

He flew and frowned when he spotted some mayhem near the city center. Villains, that was plain. Sam almost flew down to interfere, but there were heroes already there. Plus, Sam had lost his mask somewhere along the way, and he didn't want to be spotted so soon. Because Sam knew Dean would have Moon Queen looking for him already. ...He hoped that hiding his wings would help throw off the trail a little, but with face recognition software, it was probably a hope made in vain.

Sam eyed over the city as he flew over it, then slowly landed in a park, finding a water fountain. He moved to it immediately and started taking long, deep drinks.

He listened as he did. Definitely not English being spoken around these parts. ...And Sam had no money. He was hungry. And he needed a decent place to be able to rest. He stood straight and stared down at the water fountain as he tried to figure out a course of action.

A business district, that was what he needed. It did increase his risk of being spotted on a security camera and Moon Queen finding him, but business districts meant English speakers, due to foreign affairs and business dealings. He could mix a mean cocktail, and was willing to bet he could find a bar he could work in. ...But probably not a good one. After all, he didn't have anything on him but pants, socks, and a shirt he'd stolen. No documentation to identify himself with.

With a shrug, Sam turned and started walking toward where some of the tallest buildings stood, eyes sweeping over the smaller buildings as he sought out a bar that would do the trick.

\--

Gabriel sat on the roof, next to the ship, staring up at the stars. It'd been three weeks now, and Moon Queen had apparently been unable to find hide nor hair of Sam.

 _What if he's dead?_ his mind spoke, not for the first time.

 _He's not dead!! I...I would know. I just...I would know!_ he argued back.

_Would you, though? Would you, really?_

Gabriel closed his eyes and allowed his arms to slip behind him until he collapsed onto his back and wings on the ground.

Sam had to be alive. ...No, he was. Gabriel shook his head at himself. Sam had the ability to harden his body against attack. So far as Gabriel knew, only angelic weapons had been able to cause him harm. And it wasn't like angels were handing out blades that were essentially a part of themselves.

Gabriel opened his eyes and stared at the sky, as if it would tell him where Sam was. He missed him, desperately. But not just him. Sam had made friends with the angels milling about the compound beneath him. Cassie...Cassie was almost sick with worry, too. And that was concerning, given that he was supporting a growing life.

Argent was a mess, too. He was all smiles and support when around Cassie, but the second he was sure Cassie wouldn't see, his walls dropped, and he was utterly devastated. Gabriel couldn't even fully comprehend, but he could guess how he felt.

"I did this. I drove him away," Gabriel spoke to the sky. He shut his eyes again as he felt a telling prickle at the back of them. " ** _F_ _ather, Mother. Please. Please, bring him back. If not for me, then for those that care about him. They're all hurting and confused...and so am I, really. Please, I...I'd give up my grace for him_** ," he spoke quietly.

The offer to the deities of his homeworld was not one made lightly. To abandon your grace, to rip it out, was to lose everything you were, to lose your wings, to exist no more. There were tales of it, but it wasn't something done, as far as Gabriel knew. But he'd do it...he'd find a way to do it, if it meant Sam returning.

Besides, not existing? It sounded pretty good right now. After all, Sam had fled from him, instead of accepting him. Gabriel didn't get it; they cared for one another, didn't they? So why had Sam fled like he had? Did he really believe that Gabriel didn't actually feel something real for him? Still?

Gabriel sighed and turned on his side, curling his wings around himself. He didn't feel like getting up. So he was probably sleeping out here, again.

\--

Six weeks, two days. Sam stared at the calendar. He'd left six weeks, two days ago.

And he felt so tired.

He'd slept, on the floor of the above-business apartment, tending to the bar every evening for room and board.

But he felt like he was getting no rest.

There had to be an end to this, and Sam...Sam dreaded just what that was.

How could he go back? How could he face his brother?

Worse...how could he face Gabriel?

"Chris! Get to work!" his boss snapped in his thick accented English. Sam jumped and immediately got back to prepping the fruits he'd need for the evening.

...Was his mind already made up on this? Was he really going to go back and...and see what was left of his old life?

Shit, it was. He had already decided. ...This wasn't going to be fun.

His boss walked by, and Sam spoke up. "This is my last night. I'm sorry, but I've got family, and I need to go back to them," he said without looking up.

The man paused beside him, then grunted. "Bout time, you look like shit," he spoke, before continuing on his way.

The owner's easy acceptance of him dropping the job made Sam feel bad. But he really couldn't keep going like he was.

Besides...everyone was insistent that Gabriel cared for him. Sam was trying not to hope too much, but he definitely wanted to find out if it was true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four chapters. Four chapters in one day, anna, and I'm starting to fix it. So now will you forgive me? Pretty please?  
> (Don't accept my whining, it wasn't hard, my muse was letting it flow, and when I was writing A Favor House Atlantic, at one point, I did five chapters in a single day, so this is no biggie.)


	27. Chapter 27

The morning was cool. It was pleasant on his senses, and Gabriel was thankful for the ease of this particular morning.

He sat on the edge of the roof, watching his people fly about. Even Cassie, though he and Dean were further from the others. And Dean was smiling, like he had not a care in the world.

An act Cassie had started to see through only a couple of days ago. Dean kept it up anyway, not wanting to add to Cassie's stress.

A wordless shout from Unti echoed across the air, bringing them all to still and look his way. He was approaching the compound, wings high and aggressive as they swept the air, circling up above the entrance. Gabriel hopped up and strode across the roof, looking down.

There was a human standing there. Shit, Dean didn't have his mask on. Glancing in Dean and Cassie's direction, he made a decision to protect his family, and hopped down from the roof, wings beating to ease his descent, and landed right in front of the...human?

Sam stood there, not really looking at him. His hands were clenching and unclenching, and...and his wings were missing. A surge of worry and panic lanced through Gabriel. Had a villain caught up with him? Cut away his wings?

"Sam?" he choked out, eyes looking him over. There was no blood, he looked almost, _almost_ healthy. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead, dirt on the jeans and shirt he wore, and when he looked up to meet Gabriel's gaze at his name, his eyes were unfocused. Gabriel frowned, because whatever else was going on, with Sam leaving, with him suddenly being back, he shouldn't be in this sort of state. Gabriel took a step closer. Sam's pupils suddenly blew wide, and then he blinked and jerked back a step, stumbling and landing back on his ass, a yelp ripping from him. "Shit, Sam!" Gabriel spoke, moving to draw closer.

"No! Gabriel, don't--"

Well, ouch. Gabriel stilled for a second, then took a step back, carefully keeping his wings still.

He hadn't even noticed, during this, that the other angels had landed between Gabriel and the compound, but it was Cassie and Dean landing on the other side of Sam that drew his attention. Dean was stepping forward slightly, hesitantly. "Sammy?" his voice came, full of concern and disbelief.

Sam stilled, then slowly turned, pushing himself up in the same movement. Both brothers stood for a moment, just looking at one another. "'m sorry. Fuck, I'm so sorry," Sam spoke, voice on the edge of hysterical.

Dean moved in the next instant, and Sam all but fell into his hug. Gabriel took advantage of the distraction to take a step back, and then another.

" ** _Chrysalis? Is that truly you? What has happened to your wings?_** " Sefir spoke, stepping forward. Nariel was at his side...their talk those many weeks ago and turned out to be a good one.

Sam answered without releasing his grip on Dean. " ** _Hidden. I have the ability to hide them from sight. ...Actually, it's a bit more than that, but that's as good an explanation for it as I have_** ," he spoke, barely able to be understood where he had his face buried into his brother's neck. His head then moved, and given the fluffing of Cassie's feathers, it was obvious he was looking the other **_Nester_ **over.

But Cassie was having none of it. He had been concerned for Sam, but now? Now his little brother was apparently pissed.

" ** _Where have you been?_** " he snarled.

It was at this that Sam finally let go of Dean, pulling back and trying to steady himself on his own feet. Which didn't seem to be going so well; he was swaying a bit.

"Cairo. Egypt. **_It's across the ocean. I_**..." he started, but then he halted and...turned to face Gabriel. "... ** _We need to talk. I want to talk, if you're willing to speak with me. But...it's gonna need to wait a few days. I'm not in the best place right now,_** " he spoke, eyes beseeching.

As he spoke, Dean put a hand on his forehead, eyes widening as Sam's eyes fluttered shut and he leaned into the touch. "Fuck, you are burning up! What the hell, Sam? How'd you get sick??"

Sam shook his head, slowly looking to his brother. "Not sick."

"The hell you aren't! You--"

Sam turned to Cassie. "I woke up nine weeks ago. I was unconscious for a week before that."

Cassie frowned, eyes narrowing. "Is that the reason for your sudden return?"

"No. I decided on coming back last night, but when I woke this morning..." Sam started, trailing off and cringing suddenly, his body attempting to curl in on itself.

Nariel, though he didn't understand the words being thrown around, apparently had picked up on enough to know what was going on. He drew away from Sefir's side, moving swiftly to Sam and taking his arm. Sam jumped at the contact, whirling around, but halted when his eyes landed on Nariel.

" ** _Come, Chrysalis. We'll get you to a room, and I'll bring you some food and water, alright?_** "

Sam nodded and started to follow the other angel. Dean let out a confused, worried sound, starting after them.

Gabriel watched, slowly putting two and two together. Ah. Sam was in his cycle. Gabriel frowned, watching the way he carefully avoided the angels around him and even tried to draw away from Nariel's touch, though a fellow **_Nester_ **(and grace-healer to boot) was usually able to provide a soothing presence to a **_Nester_ **in cycle.

Given this information, Gabriel supposed he could understand Sam's earlier reaction to him...but it barely made it hurt less.

Cassie was at his side suddenly. Gabriel tore his gaze from where Sam was being pulled into the building, looking at his little brother.

Cassie was staring at the newest angel's retreating back. "...He did come back, brother. And he did say he wants to talk," he spoke, before finally turning his head to Gabriel.

Gabriel frowned, looking at the pines surrounding them. "Yeah. But I'm not sure if I really want to hear what he has to say. ...I mean, I wanted him to come back, but honestly, Cassie...I'm not sure I want to hear what he's going to tell me. I mean, he vanished last time, and apparently put an ocean between us. I just...I don't really wanna hope, ya know?"

"...I can sympathize, brother. If I'm honest, I'm afraid of what he's going to say to you as well. But wouldn't it be better to know one way or another?"

Cassie was right. And so, Gabriel turned back to him and gave a short nod. Cassie gave an encouraging smile, then turned and headed into the compound.

Five days later, and all the angels were on edge. Nariel especially. " ** _This is highly abnormal!_** " the angel ranted, pacing the entrance to the first floor hallway.

" ** _Perhaps it's lasting this long because of the way he came to be one of us. Maybe it affected his biology more, and is prolonging his cycle_** ," Cassie speculated from a nearby sofa chair. Dean wasn't around today, out doing hero stuff, but when he swung by, he was going to be upset to find out that Sam was still in cycle, despite them all having expected it to end yesterday. Furthermore, Nariel had told them just minutes ago that Sam had not yet reached the worst of it, the peak.

Nariel's wings shifted uncomfortably as he halted his pacing, frowning. " ** _Perhaps, but I have no way of knowing just how long it's going to carry on_** ," he admitted, before scowling at the floor like it had just said something offensive.

Sefir moved over and placed his hand on the small of Nariel's back. " ** _Calm yourself, love. I know he's a good friend to you, but this will pass in_** \--"

There was a scream echoing down the hall and all of the angels, spread across the living area, froze. And then Nariel was tearing down the hallway. Cassie was seconds behind him, and it took all Gabriel had not to follow. He would've, but given that he'd passed Sam's room just yesterday, caught the scent of his wing oils, and would've entered the room if not for Nariel, Cassie, and Unti appearing then, he knew his restraint was no good here. As it was, he had taken to carefully avoiding the first floor quarters area, staying up on his floor except to eat.

Minutes later, Cassie was jogging back down the hall, pale as he moved for the kitchen. Gabriel followed quickly. "Talk," he barked out as he watched his little brother pull a clean bucket from under the sink and start to fill it with cold water.

Cassie shot him a scathing look, but did as told anyway. "The fever is spiking, and his body is spasming. Gabriel, get all the ice you can out of the freezer and get it into the tub closest to Sam's room. As quick as possible. Nariel said that if we don't lower his temperature soon, he could seize."

Gabriel froze for a second, then turned to Unti and Sefir. " _ **Get ice in the tub by Sam's room**_ ," he ordered them, delegating the task and heading for the phone attached to the wall in the dining area. He lifted it and waited the two rings it took for Moon Queen to pick up.

"What's going on?" her cheerful voice came, a hint of concern laying under it.

"Get Argent back here, and if he can bring ice, a lot of it, we need it. Chrys is in bad shape."

"Fuck," the woman breathed. "Yeah, on it, but it might be a bit. He's finishing up a situation, and he's pretty far out from you guys."

Gabriel thunked his head against the wall. "We're doing what we can here, but sometimes familial presences can help in these situations. And on top of that, I doubt he'd be happy to know this was going on and he wasn't here for it."

"Mm, you'd be right, but what is--"

"He's got a high fever, apparently, and our...our doctor, he says if we don't get it down, he could have a seizure."

"Shit. Alright, I'm gonna reach out to Argent now. ...Keep me updated, yeah?"

"Yeah, not like there's anything I can actually do here," Gabriel muttered, before hanging up.

There was another scream, but Gabriel almost didn't hear it as pain suddenly lanced his grace, making him stumble and sink to his knees. He gasped under an onslaught of pain, desperation, and despair.

"... ** _Gabriel_**?" Jivi spoke, approaching him. Gabriel looked up, then cringed, his wings curling around him as he curled in on himself. It was unending and pulsing, and Gabriel was getting swept under by it.

Gabriel opened his eyes, and suddenly realized that he'd lost consciousness. He was spread out over a sofa, and not five feet from him, Dean stood in front of Cassie, staring blankly over the angel's shoulder. He looked pale. ...So did Cassie. Gabriel sat up quickly.

"What's going on? What'd I miss?" he asked abruptly.

Cassie's wings twitched in startle, and he looked over at Gabriel. He frowned. "...He seized. You both did," he spoke quietly.

Gabriel blinked, sitting back. "Wha.... That doesn't...that doesn't make sense. I'm...I feel fine. Well, I'm...my muscles are sore, but...other than that? I'm fine."

Dean slowly looked over, looking at Gabriel, eyes slowly sweeping over him. Gabriel frowned at the look, and he suddenly realized that Dean was looking him over for injury. His wings gave a sharp twitch with that realization. He'd never had anyone, save Cassie on rare occasion, look at him like that. Slowly, he pushed up, his aching muscles protesting the move.

"'m fine, Dean-o. ...What's going on with Sam now?" he spoke, looking back to Cassie.

"Nariel managed to bring down his fever, but he's keeping a close eye on him now. Sam has yet to regain consciousness, as far as I'm aware," Cassie provided gently.

Gabriel nodded slowly, then gestured toward the kitchen. "Get them both something to eat?" he suggested.

Cassie blinked, then seemed to relax at being given something to do, and stepped away from Dean, heading for the kitchen. Dean watched him go, then slowly sank into a nearby chair.

"Do me a favor, Gabe?" he spoke. Gabriel tilted his head, watching the human. "Try not to scare the shit outta us again, alright?"

"Heh," Gabriel let out, looking down with a frown.

He remembered pulsing pain...it felt like it had come from Sam, just like the last time he'd sensed something from him, before he'd disappeared on them. Was this connection they had strong enough to have made Gabriel seize right alongside him?

He frowned at the floor. When Sam recovered, and they had their talk (because now they were definitely going to have it), Gabriel would have to ask him about it, try and figure it out with him. Because whatever it was, it was strong enough to physically affect them.


	28. Chapter 28

The second time it happened, late in that very same night, Gabriel was on his own floor. He'd been asleep and woke with a gasp at the surge of desperation that was quickly followed by pain. He managed a short cry before his world went black again.

When he woke, it was to Cassie running a cool, damp cloth over his forehead.

" ** _Wha_**..." he spoke, dizzy and out of it, this time.

" ** _Shh, brother. You seized again_** ," Cassie spoke quickly and quietly.

Seized...again? Did that mean.... " ** _Did Sam_**...?" A nod from Cassie had Gabriel frowning. " ** _Something's different this time_** ," he said, struggling to sit up.

" ** _Sam has finally reached the peak of his cycle. Dean's with him now, and it seems his presence is doing some good. ...Gabriel, do you know what's going on, what's happening to you?_** "

Gabriel shook his head, frowning when the motion made his stomach roil. " ** _No. Not really. ...Before Sam almost died, whenever his energy was manifested and near me, I could pick up on his emotions. ...Now, I don't even need that, if they're strong enough. ...And it seems like pain can cross that barrier, too_** ," he confided to his little brother.

Cassie frowned at the information, shaking his head slowly. " ** _You told me, about what happened when Sam was dying. Could it have created some sort of psychic link between you two?_** " he spoke, tilting his head and looking to Gabriel for answers.

Gabriel gave a weak shrug, feeling tiredness wash over him. " ** _I don't really know, Cassie. I just...I don't_**."

The last time was in the early hours of the morning. He didn't wake that time, but Cassie had been there beside him when he apparently bowed up off the bed with some sort of guttural sound. His little brother had gotten him onto his side and cared for him until it was over.

It wasn't Cassie in the room when Gabriel woke, though, but Dean. The human looked ages older, but not as tense as he had been the evening before.

"Sam?" Gabriel croaked, frowning at the dryness of his own throat.

Dean blinked, looking over. "Apparently he's through the worst of it. Cas told me that by evening, it should be over. ...What the hell's going on, Gabe? Sammy's seized three times, and each time, you did, too."

Gabriel pushed himself up, frowning. His muscles ached in an awful way, and despite having obviously slept, he was completely worn out. "All I have is speculation, Dean. ...When Sam was dying a couple of months ago, he reached out to me. With his energy. ...I thought that..." he started, but he frowned and pushed himself from the bed, shuffling over to the arm chair in the corner. He dropped into it gracelessly, pulling his legs up and hugging his knees. "I thought that this...this wonderful, completely selfless human, was about to be no more. I grabbed onto his hand, and I let my grace do what it wanted, let it surge forth. I didn't know what it would do, if it would wind up taking me with him...but I also didn't care," Gabriel confessed.

"Dude..." Dean breathed. "...I knew you cared about him, but I didn't think--"

"Yeah, well...I feel how I feel. ...My grace poured into his energy, into his soul. Apparently the energy from that not only healed him, not only altered his DNA, but was in enough excess that I fried those assholes attacking us. Next thing I know, I'm waking up, Nariel's telling me Sam's in the kitchen, and I walked in, and...I didn't even recognize him at first, because Sam didn't have wings. Or he hadn't before then," Gabriel told Dean. He was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "...When he came back to the ship, the day after we found out about Cassie being pregnant...Sam reacted each time my emotions went deep enough to affect my grace. He'd look over at me like he'd felt. But he was around Nariel, and I couldn't be bothered to ask why. ...And then, the day he ran, I felt emotions outta him. I don't know what kinda distance this thing covers, honestly, but Cassie and I talked about it last night, and we think there's some sort of psychic link between Sam and myself, now. There's no real way to quantify it, to measure it...but whatever this is, it's obviously powerful. I mean, it's physically affecting me," Gabriel finished.

Dean was leaning against the wall, staring down at the floor. "...This is a little..."

"Much? You're telling me. ...Would you do me a favor and get me something to eat? I...I'm tired," he spoke quietly, resting for forehead against his arms still holding his knees.

"Yeah, man. I'll be back up in a bit," Dean said, quietly leaving the room.

Gabriel was left to wonder about this link between himself and Sam, and what would happen once Sam knew the depth of it. Would he run again? Gabriel wasn't sure his heart could take that. Not again.

\--

The tremors passed, and his body eased. It ached badly, and Sam knew it had to do with the seizures he'd had. He'd barely been aware of them, but Nariel had been there as he started to come down from the height of his cycle, and told him what'd been going on. He'd tried to be clinical about it, but Sam could see an echo of worry in the angel's eyes.

When Sam pushed himself up in the bed, there was a hand in between his shoulder blades, in between his wings, helping to support him, and a glass of water being held in front of him. Sam took it, looking up to see Cas.

Cas looked stressed, and Sam immediately moved his hand in front of his stomach, pulling his energy forth. Cas didn't move away, didn't so much as bristle like he did with most. And when Sam gave him a warm, reassuring smile, a good amount of tension faded from Cas' body. "He's doing well, Cas," Sam spoke, all the same.

"...He?" Cas spoke, tilting his head. When Sam nodded, Cas beamed happily, raising his own hand to rest on his stomach.

"Lookit that, the bitch is awake!" Dean's voice came from where the door was still swinging open.

"Shut it, jerk," Sam shot back.

Cas was moving and practically throwing himself into Dean's arms. Dean let out a squawk that Sam was never going to let him live down, and caught the angel as carefully as he could. "Cas??" he spoke, a bit bewildered.

"A boy, Dean. We're having a boy," Cas' voice came quietly, as he nuzzled into Dean's neck. 

Dean blinked a couple of times, then looked to Sam. Sam smiled warmly and nodded, and Dean pulled Cas as close as he dared, kissing across his cheek, jaw, and neck.

"Okay. Go get a room," Sam spoke, as Cas started to tilt his head for better access. Cas' feathers fluffed in apparent embarrassment, but Dean didn't say anything, instead taking the suggestion and pulling Cas out the door and away.

Sam took a drink of his water, finally, and set it to the side. He looked over where Nariel was tapping on a device, holding it in Sam's direction.

" ** _Nariel...I'm sorry to have worried you. ...Hey, do we know if it was only like this because it was the first time, or is it always going to be like that?_** " he asked.

Nariel looked up with a frown. " ** _You don't need to apologize for something you couldn't help, Chrys. ...And we don't know yet. I'm hoping that it's just your biology playing catch up, and that the next one will be easier_** ," he answered.

Sam nodded. " ** _Yeah. So do I_**." He sighed and moved, carefully pushing himself from the bed. His legs were shaky as hell, and sore to boot, but they held him. "... ** _I should get a shower. I vaguely remember some ice baths, but uh...I'm far from fresh. Not to mention, my wings kinda_**..." he began looking at one as he stretched it out. It was practically dripping. Sam's nose wrinkled.

" ** _Mm, yes. Your glands produced an abnormal amount of oil. But I warn you, the human soaps you provided to us...they strip the oils away so completely that it is quite uncomfortable for an hour or so, until more oil is produced_**."

" ** _Thanks, Nariel. ...I'd like to cook, when I'm dressed. If no one's eaten, let them know?_** "

" ** _Of course. Honestly, eating's been a disaster the past couple of days. Argent wasn't in a state to cook, and none of us really know how to make human food_**."

Sam frowned, tilting his head. " ** _Gabe makes a pretty mean sandwich, and he's dabbled in the kitchen a bit, too_** ," he began, but he halted, seeing a strange expression cross Nariel's face. "... ** _What happened to Gabe?_** " Sam asked quickly.

Nariel's mouth opened, then shut. Finally, he shook his head. " ** _I'm uncertain, and I haven't had a real chance to talk to him about it. But apparently, he's been having seizures whenever you do_**."

Sam blinked, waiting for Nariel to say something to indicate a joke...but the angel was serious. "What the ever loving fuck?"

" ** _Chrys_**?"

" ** _No, nothing...I'm getting that shower_** ," Sam said, frowning and leaving the room.


	29. Chapter 29

When Sam finally made it into the kitchen, he saw golden feathers of various shades peeking from around the fridge door. He licked his lips nervously. He and Gabe needed to have that talk. ...Not to mention, he needed to find out why the hell Gabriel had had seizures when Sam had. But not right this second.

"I'm thinking tacos," he spoke up.

There was a loud thunk, a curse in Enochian, and then Gabriel was looking up over the fridge door, eyes sweeping over Sam. "Hey..." he breathed. Sam felt his wings twitch nervously from the way Gabriel was looking at him, and that apparently was enough to draw Gabe's attention to them.

His eyes went round and his wings did that curl thing. Sam felt his own wings respond, curling in much the same way, and he felt his face heat in a bright blush. This time, he hadn't forced them, like he had with Nariel. It'd been a completely natural reaction.

When something heated flashed through Gabriel's eyes, Sam shook his head, taking a step back and forcing his wings to pull in tight to his back. His eyes fell to the floor between them and he spoke again, his voice quieter than he'd have liked. "I'm going to make tacos...and maybe we could go somewhere private to eat, and talk?" he suggested.

Silence stretched for a scant few seconds before Gabriel cleared his throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I think that'd...be a good idea," he responded. Sam heard the fridge door shut and looked up to see Gabriel walking out the other side of the kitchen, toward the patio glass doors.

He took a moment, then shook his head. "I'm some kinda _special_ , flirting like that," he muttered to himself, heading for the fridge and starting to dig out ingredients.

Roughly forty minutes later, and the angels were crowding the kitchen. Especially Castiel. He was practically draping over Sam's shoulders, trying to sneak bites of meat while Sam finished up the fixings. For the fourth time, Sam swatted Cas' hands away with a chuckle.

"Saaammmm...have pity on me, I have cravings," Cas whined, _actually_ whined, with a vague petulant tone.

"Cravings or not, you can wait just a little bit longer. You'll be able to put together a proper taco and enjoy it, then," Sam shot back, though his own tone was soothing.

On the other side of the kitchen island counter, Gabriel was explaining to the rest of the angels what tacos were, and how to put them together. Sam smiled as he listened to the **_Sentinel_ _'s_** voice, finally turning off the heat.

Cas made another grab for a piece of meat, and Sam smacked his hand with the wooden spoon this time.

He had never seen the angel pout before, but he was now, and Sam couldn't help the full-bodied laugh that escaped him at that. It was to this that Dean walked in, eyebrow raised. Sam shot him a grin. "Your boyfriend keeps trying to snipe the food," Sam supplied.

Dean stumbled, literally, face heating brightly. "Uh..." he let out intelligibly.

Sam blinked and stared. "...Dean," he started warningly.

The angels had all fallen quiet, and Cas was looking back and forth between the two brothers. He frowned when Sam's wings started to raise in irritation bordering on aggression.

"No, no, Sammy...it's not what you're thinking, I just...uhm...."

Sam stilled, giving his brother the benefit of a doubt. After all, Sam had been gone for six weeks, and then laid up in bed for another almost week beyond that. So surely Dean had solidified just what he and Cas were to another with the angel in question. He raised his eyebrows and gave a wave of his hand, indicating that Dean should continue.

Dean flushed and looked down. "I've kinda, uh...moved in here? ...With Cas.... So, uh...I don't know if boyfriend quite fits the bill. Feels like more than that," he spoke, shifting uncomfortably.

Sam felt his wings settle comfortably against his back as Cas stepped closer to Dean, pressing into his side gently. With the contact, Dean's eyes came up to Cas, and he smiled, warm and...holy fuck. Dean was in love. Possibly more in love than ever. He'd looked at Lisa like that, once, but...this seemed even deeper than that, somehow.

"Mm. Good to know," Sam spoke, dismissing the conversation and letting his brother out of it. He then turned to the angels that were watching with great curiosity, eyes bouncing around between the three on the opposite side of the counter. "... ** _If you're done watching the show you can't really understand, then grab a plate and help yourselves_** ," he said.

Cas immediately broke from Dean's side, snatching up the top plate and starting to work on assembling his tacos.

Dean managed to grab the fourth plate down the stack on the island, but he was sixth to be able to get his plate put together, and he made his way to the table in the dining area to sit next to Cas.

Sam merely stood back and waited for the angels to finish assembling their tacos, explaining what things were when asked, and digging out spoons for angels to try different components with. He noticed Gabriel staying back as well, helping in the whole mess of it, and fought against shooting him a smile for it. He wasn't sure how welcome it would be, even (or maybe especially) given their little flirty moment earlier.

Finally, the other angels, and his brother, were all seated at the table in the dining room. Sam watched them for a moment, ensuring they were definitely eating and not waiting on himself and Gabriel. ...But they were. He frowned, not sure how to tell them that Gabriel and himself would be eating elsewhere and to go ahead.

Cas looked up suddenly, noticing Gabriel and Sam weren't at the table. He looked first at his brother, then at Sam. Then at the rest of the table, before he grabbed one of his tacos and started to eat. The second he did, the other angels took that as a signal and dug in as well. Dean watched them for a moment, then looked over at Sam, question in his eyes. Sam gave a shrug, eyes darting in Gabriel's direction, before looking back. His brother knew him well enough to understand, and began to eat with the others as well.

When Sam turned to the plates, he saw only one left, and then turned a bit more, seeing Gabriel starting to load up soft taco shells at the stove. He smiled slightly at the other's back, then grabbed up the last plate, grabbing a couple of soft taco shells, as well as one crunchy shell. He waited for Gabriel to be done at the stove, then added meat and refried beans to the shells, as well as some refried beans on the side. He then moved back to the island, where the toppings were laid out, working around Gabriel pretty seamlessly to dress his tacos as desired. Some onion, some avocado, pineapple salsa, cheese, and sour cream.

He felt his wings give a happy little flick at the ends as he finished loading up his plate. Hearing a quiet chuckle, he turned to see Gabriel looking up from his wings to his eyes. Sam flushed a bit and forced a shrug. "So...outside, I guess?" he spoke up.

"Sounds good to me, kiddo," Gabriel spoke.

Sam moved to head toward the sliding glass door, frowning. "Kiddo? Seriously?"

"Seriously. You're technically the youngest angel here. So...kiddo," Gabriel said, grinning like a loon.

Sam rolled his eyes, shook his head, and breathed a chuckle of his own, all at once.

He reached the patio door first and opened it, stepping through. Gabriel followed and shut it behind them, and they made their way to the smallest of the tables sitting under the overhang, sitting down.

They sat there for a few long moments, both staring at their own plates.

"...I don't want to be your friend," Sam spoke suddenly, looking up at Gabriel. Gabriel's eyes shot up to meet his, startle written there. He apparently hadn't thought Sam would be the one to breach the quiet and delve into the long needed discussion. "Don't get me wrong, you're awesome...but Gabe, I want more than that with you, and..." Sam spoke, feeling his wings hunch in toward his shoulders as he quickly looked at the distant tree line. "...it terrifies the hell outta me."

Quiet met Sam's words and he startled to feel a curdling nausea fill him. He'd just royally screwed up, hadn't he? Everyone had been so insistent that Gabriel felt something more than friendship for him, so Sam had taken a step off the cliff and admitted his own feelings, in part anyway, and now he was left to plummet to the ground, to be left without Gabriel at all. He fought the nausea and panic threatening to overwhelm him. He wanted to run again, but...but he couldn't. It was bad enough what he'd put his family through...he didn't think that Dean would forgive him if he took off again. ...And he wanted to be here when his nephew was born, too.

Sam shook his head, looking back down at his plate. Would he be able to eat now? "...Nevermind, Gabe, forget I--"

"No. Sam, no," Gabriel interrupted suddenly. Sam stilled, closing his eyes entirely. He felt his breathing become shallow, and he wasn't sure that was good, but he tried to keep his breaths even at least, while he waited for Gabriel to say his piece. It took another moment, but Gabriel finally continued. "I...I want more, too," Gabriel spoke.

Sam's eyes snapped open and came up to meet Gabriel's. There was nothing but sincerity and warmth there. He felt his breath hitch slightly and a prickle behind his eyes, but he restrained himself. "I...I don't do things by half-measures, Gabriel. If...if you're serious about this, about me...about us? Then you need to know that I'm going to be invested, and..." _Fuck, how do I say this without spilling that I'm already completely in love with him and scaring him the fuck off???_

"Good. I want you invested, Sam," Gabriel spoke, when Sam paused for just a second too long. Gabriel's eyes left Sam's, moving to a bird up in the sky, looping about in the distance. "...I already am," he confessed.

Sam felt like he was letting out a breath he'd been holding, even though he'd mostly been breathing normally the entire time. "Then...just to be completely clear...we're together?" he spoke slowly.

Gabriel's feathers fluffed shyly, his cheeks taking on a pink tinge. _Fuck, Gabriel, you'd better say yes, right the fuck now!_ Slowly, Gabriel turned to face Sam again. "...If you would have me," he answered.

Sam pushed his chair back, startling Gabriel as he stood. The **_Sentinel's_** wings made startled, aborted movements as Sam moved around the table and leaned down, pressing a hungry kiss to the other angel's lips.

When Sam's tongue swept over Gabriel's lips, the smaller angel's lips parted easily, and they both groaned softly as their tongues met. It wasn't a battle between them, but a dance, as they explored each other's mouths. Sam felt Gabriel's hand come up and grip at the curl of hair at the base of his head, tugging gently. It made Sam gasp into the kiss and fueled him deepening it and pouring emotion into it.

For a second, Gabriel stilled. And then Sam was pulling himself back as emotion flood into his very being, overwhelming him and making him stumble back a few steps. It was warm, and tender, and passionate, and...fuck, _loving_!

And seconds later, it was gone. "What...what the hell?" Sam whispered, staring over Gabriel's head as he reached a hand up to his chest, which now felt all-too-empty.

"Easy, Sam. It's okay," Gabriel soothed, standing up and breaching the small space that had been made between them at Sam's shock.

Sam blinked and slowly looked down, meeting Gabriel's eyes. ...Shit, he was feeling Gabriel's emotions. He had before, he thought, back when he'd been trying to help Nariel. He had been uncertain, but every time he'd felt this weird surge of hurt, he'd sought out Gabriel automatically, to try and ensure his well being.

But this wasn't, hadn't been, hurt. It'd been.... "...Do you...do you love me?" Sam asked quietly.

Gabriel stilled for a second, then offered a smile. "Yeah. But you love me, too, Sammy," he said easily.

Sam blinked and considered for a few seconds. "...You felt that, huh?" he asked. Gabriel nodded. Sam looked away. Not in shame, but in consideration. "...Nariel told me about you seizing. ...Whatever this is...Gabe..." he began, frowning. "...I'm not sure it's good. Not when it can do that to you."

Gabriel's hand slipped into his and squeezed gently. "...Sam, there's a lot to consider here. Things we'll need to speak to Nariel about, to get his opinion on. But I have a few thoughts, a few theories...and I don't think that this is bad. And we'll figure it out, okay?"

Sam looked back down to him, then nodded slowly. "...Come on, let's eat, and you can tell me what you know for certain?" he spoke.

Gabriel smiled and nodded in agreement.


	30. Chapter 30

They sat and ate, sharing what they knew of the connection between them. Gabriel started by telling Sam of what he'd felt the day he'd disappeared from the corridor. Sam had flushed a bit in shame, looking away and taking a deliberate mouthful of food, chewing and swallowing before he replied.

"I kept feeling all these...these spikes of just...pain? Hurt, I guess, not real, physical pain. And it was automatic, natural, for me to seek you out when I did. You were always nearby when it happened, and I probably should've made that connection sooner, but why on Earth would I be feeling your emotions? It's not one of my abilities. ...So, as soon as I could see you, and couldn't see any cause for you to be hurt, I went back to whatever I was doing in the first place," Sam spoke quietly.

Gabriel reached over the table and gently squeezed one of Sam's hands. "I picked up that you were sensing emotions from me, Sam, but...I convinced myself you didn't care, because you would look away...and I thought you were with Nariel," Gabriel confessed, just as quiet as Sam. He then leaned back and sighed. "But to be honest, that day in the corridor of the ship wasn't the first time I'd felt your emotions. ...It was when I first got here. When you healed my wings from my ship blowing," he supplied.

Sam blinked, frowning as he considered. "...So have you been able to feel my emotions this whole time, then?" he asked confusedly.

Gabriel shook his head. "No. Only when your energy was manifested and near me."

Sam nodded slowly, taking another bite of food as he considered. He set down the half of the last taco on his plate. "We haven't really worked with this...we've been doing it accidentally. ...I think we should take some time and see what it takes to deliberately push feelings to another, and learn how we can cut it off, too. ...So that something like physical pain can't seep through."

Gabriel frowned at that. "Sam, like I said, I have a theory and--"

"It doesn't matter, Gabe. It was scary enough for me to come to and be told that I'd had a seizure. To learn that I was triggering it in you, too?" Sam began, and then he paused.

Gabriel waited for Sam to continue, and suddenly he felt icy claws at his throat, scraping away at his common sense, horror and revulsion filling his stomach, terror sweeping through his senses and leaving him gasping. Just as quick as it started, it was gone and Sam was at his side.

"Shit, sorry, I...I just...I didn't know how to explain how it felt, and...are you okay?" he asked quietly, eyes wide in concern from where he was crouched down by Gabriel's chair.

Gabriel took a second to swallow around the echo of the emotions before nodding slowly. "...Seems like you're good at figuring out how to do that, now that you're aware of it," he teased lightly.

Sam chuckled and shook his head. "It's kinda like just another ability. All I have to do is seek it out," he supplied, standing and looking Gabriel over with concern before starting back to his seat. It took a lot for Gabriel not to reach out and keep him as close as he was, but he managed it.

When Sam was seated again, he picked up his taco and finished it off, staring off into the distance with a thoughtful look on his face. Gabriel continued eating as well, waiting for Sam to voice his thoughts.

Sam tilted his head after a long few moments, then looked over at Gabriel, silent. Gabriel peered back, curious, but finished off his meal in silence.

No sooner had Gabriel finished swallowing the last bite, than Sam was stretching his hand out to him, his energy manifested around it. Gabriel blinked, staring, then looked up at Sam with an eyebrow raised in question.

Sam smiled slightly, giving a shrug of one shoulder. "I want to see what it feels like now, if it's any different," he offered.

Gabriel nodded, reaching out and taking Sam's glowing hand.

His grace surged forward, unbidden, and Gabriel was swept through with sensation and emotion. He couldn't help but shut his eyes and bask in it.

He felt some uncertainty still coming from Sam, about them, and he immediately latched onto it and pressed it down, smothering it until it was no more, with the love he felt for this wonderful former human.

Once it was gone, he was swamped over with a tidal wave of warmth and devotion, and he was barely aware of releasing a whining moan under it. However, it seemed Sam had more of his senses that Gabriel did at the moment, because there was a sudden wave of arousal from the sound that Gabriel had emitted.

All at once, though, they were starting to pull from each other; emotionally, anyway. Sam had started it, and Gabriel, though confused, followed suit.

The reason for the withdraw was soon apparent. There was energy and power building between them. Rapidly. Gabriel sucked in a breath, his eyes snapping open as he started to panic, because it was too much, and it was starting to hurt, and they needed to discharge it somehow, but this time, there were no villains around for them to torch! Gabriel looked over at Sam, trying to pull his hand away, but Sam smiled softly, holding tight.

Gabriel watched Sam shut his eyes and felt him drawing the power forth. A flicker of a frown crossed the **_Nester's_** face, and Gabriel felt a sliver of pain out of him. He let out a wounded noise, trying to withdraw from Sam's hand again, but Sam wasn't letting go.

"Sam!" he called out, desperate. Sam didn't respond...and all at once, the energy released, and the link between them settled.

Gabriel blinked, eyes wide as he slowly swept his eyes around. If he hadn't been amazed by Sam before, he certainly was now. There were flowers pouring from where they sat, straight out past the trees. And not all of them were Earthen in origin; Gabriel recognized some flowers from his homeworld. As his eyes swept over the field of blooms, they came back to the patio, where vines ran up over the concrete, all the way to the building of their home. Gabriel stood, and this time, Sam let go of his hand, as he stumbled back, looking up and up, trailing the winding vines and blooms up the side of the building.

"...Crap, we're going to have to cut some down," Sam's voice came. Gabriel blinked, looking at him, and following his gaze to where the sliding glass door was sealed tight by the vines. A second later, there was movement on the other side of the door.

"Uh, Sam? How're we gonna explain this?" Gabriel said, spotting Dean looking out at them through an opening in the vines, frowning in concern.

"...I'd say tell the truth, but I'm pretty sure Dean's going to freak if we do," Sam supplied, standing and heading to the door, starting to pull at the vines to break them away from the door. "...Then again, if we lie and he finds out, he'll be absolutely pissed," he added.

"...Truth it is," Gabriel chirped, stepping up to help with he vines. They'd barely gotten them free enough before Dean was pulling the door to the side, starting to tug at the vines as well.

"So, Sammy, Gabe...wanna explain the light show, and why there's vines all over the place?" Dean's voice came, a deceptive calm echoing through it.

"...No?" Sam tried. When Dean leveled his little brother with a look worthy of Sam himself, Sam sighed, shoulders slumping. "...Just uh...testing something out. I guess Gabe and I oughta explain, huh? ...To you, and to the angels," he said, glancing at Gabriel, apparently seeking if that was agreeable to him.

Gabriel gave a small nod. "Not tonight, though. Sam and I are still figuring it out, so you'll just have to wait till morning, Dean-o," Gabriel said firmly.

Dean scowled as they finally cleared away the vines enough to make the entrance be passable. "...Fine, but as soon as breakfast is over in the morning, you two are going to sit down with all of us, and lay it all out in the open. Got it?" he demanded.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, his wings fluffing in agitation at the order. Sam's wings fluffed as well, but he calmly responded with a, "Yeah, Dean, we got it."

With that, Gabriel decided on a broad smirk. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I'm going to go defile your little brother. Ya know, like you've been doing to mine?" he spoke, latching onto Sam's hand.

Sam let out a spluttering sound, but he didn't resist in the slightest as Gabriel pulled him through the doorway and toward the stairs.

"Uhg, I didn't need to know!" Dean called after them.

Sam's resulting laugh was nothing short of beautiful.


	31. Chapter 31

They could've taken the elevator, but Gabriel had opted for the stairs, and Sam found that he didn't mind it in the least. Reaching the top floor didn't even put him out of breath; despite being out of the hero game for a good few weeks, he was still in decent shape.

He followed after Gabriel readily, despite practically being dragged anyway, to the room at the furthest end of the long hall. Gabriel opened the door and pulled him in, pushing him toward the bed gently as he shut and locked the door behind him.

Sam neared the bed, turning and starting to walk backward towards it, spotting the hungry look in Gabriel's eyes. He felt his wings starting to curl and allow more access to the undersides, feathers fluffing a bit as his face heated. "...I take it you weren't joking down there, then?" he asked, carefully keeping his tone light and playful. His legs hit the bed and he sunk down to sit on it, watching as Gabriel took a few steps forward.

"I joke about a lot of things, kiddo. ...But not about you," Gabriel answered, tone firm, strong, and yet open.

Sam felt his heart do a backflip in his chest. Slowly, as gently as he could, he reached out to the part of his soul he'd managed to identify as the link between them. Trying not to overwhelm Gabriel as he had out on the patio, he let his emotions seep through; warmth, happiness, love...and though he was shy about it, he let the first curls of arousal seep through as well.

Gabriel's eyes became half-lidded as he apparently started picking up on it. Seconds later, there was a starburst in Sam's chest. Heat, want, love, arousal, devotion. Sam couldn't help the whimper that escaped his lips. The arousal surged with such an intensity then, that Sam sagged backward onto the bed with a moan. "Fuck, Gabe..." he muttered into the air above him.

The golden angel was suddenly in his view, his weight on Sam's stomach as he stared down at him. Hot desire was coiling between them, and Sam couldn't honestly say if it was Gabriel's or his own. Still, Gabriel was slow in leaning down, tentative in pressing their lips together, gentle in the movements of his lips against Sam's own.

Sam's eyes fluttered shut and carefully restrained himself from flinging the link between them wide open, much as everything in him was screaming for him to do it. He reached his hands up, gripping at Gabe's hips and starting to press up into the kiss, wanting... _needing_ more. When he finally brushed his tongue against Gabriel's lips, the angel immediately opened with a soft moan.

Sam pulled back then, just for a second, just long enough to allow them both a breath, and then he dove upward, sweeping into Gabriel's mouth.

He tasted of their tacos, but he also still had that taste that was just uniquely him. Sam found that he'd missed that taste that he'd had of Gabriel so long ago.

Sam gasped out a wordless shout, his back bowing, at a sudden, new sensation. It took him a moment to regain his senses, and he drew in a shuddering gasp, eyes moving to where Gabriel had stilled his hand in Sam's feathers.

There was a faint murmur of concern through the link they shared, but also a healthy dose of amusement. "Hm...you're more sensitive than just about anyone I've seen," he teased lightly.

Sam couldn't help but level a bitch face at him. "Yeah, well, I'm guessing angels grow up used to having their wings touched by others. But you're the first to touch my wings, and I guess I'm just not used to it," he defended.

Gabriel stilled even further at that, a static of shock fuzzing over their connection. "...No one?" he asked.

Sam raised an eyebrow, curious. "...You're the first, Gabe," he confessed again, leaning up to brush his lips against Gabriel's.

He let out a keening whine as Gabriel's hand moved, twisting the feathers gently in his hand. At the same time, a growl came from the angel above Sam, and a possessive streak a mile wide that matched the noise sounded loudly over their link.

"Oh, fuck," Sam gasped. Pants were an uncomfortable thing, he decided. Very uncomfortable, way too restraining. "Gabe...God, Gabe, I need you," he whimpered.

Gabriel didn't respond immediately. Instead, his fingers pressed further into the feathers, past them, to the muscle of his wing, and lightly scratched against skin that was impossibly sensitive.

"Fuck, please!" Sam begged in a loud yell.

Amusement and heat curled over their connection, both so strong, Sam was sure they'd completely sweep him away until he couldn't tell up from down. "Alright, Sammy. Easy," Gabriel murmured, lips brushing over Sam's jaw as he gently disentangled his hand from Sam's feathers. Sam couldn't help a protesting whimper, but it was met with a nip of teeth at the point where his jaw and neck met. "I can feel you, kiddo. Much more, and the party'll be over before it starts," he teased.

"...Shut up," Sam whined with a pout. "Not my fault they're stupidly sensitive," he spoke petulantly.

"Mm," Gabriel hummed in agreement. He sat back and up, staring down at Sam for a long moment, then smirked. "...I think I'm gonna...what's the phrase? I heard it..." he spoke, frowning over at the wall to Sam's right. His brows shot up and he grinned down at Sam like he was proud of something. "I'm gonna ride you like a boycow!"

Sam gaped, then started laughing. "Cowboy," he corrected, shaking his head, then raised an eyebrow at Gabe. "...You sure? I'm kinda...not small," he said hesitantly.

A strong surge of want flashed between them as Gabriel nodded. "Oh, I'm sure. Gimme your worst, Sammy!" he chirped.

Sam grinned, curling up as much as he could with Gabe still sitting on his stomach. "It'll be easier with a lot less clothes, ya know," he teased, nipping at Gabriel's chin.

Heat surged between them again, and Gabriel scrambled off of Sam, starting to inelegantly strip down. Sam watched all the same, letting his own arousal surge strongly through their bond as each inch of flesh was exposed to him.

Amusement met his arousal, Gabriel smirking at him. "C'mon, Sammy. Not fair if I'm the only one all gloriously naked," he taunted.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Mm, and what if I want to fuck you with my jeans still on?" he teased in turn.

Gabriel pouted immediately, and Sam tilted his head back as he laughed.

Fondness and love surged through him at that, and Sam slowly let his laughter slip, looking over at Gabriel as the other angel watched him, those very same emotions settled over his face.

Sam felt his heart pound and he swiftly stood from the bed, moving to his...fuck, his boyfriend, and reached up, cupping his jaws in his hands as he leaned down for a kiss.

Gabriel opened to him immediately, pouring love, affection, and arousal into the kiss and their connection alike.

Yeah, clothes were not needed right now.

Sam started tugging at the fastenings around his wings of the shirt, growling into the kiss when he couldn't get them undone properly. With a huff, he tugged his energy over his wings, making them vanish, and broke the kiss to yank the shirt over his head.

A surge of panic, loss, and concern surged over their link, before realization followed, and then a spike of agitation. "Sam, if you don't bring your wings back, right now, I'm going to cut this short!" Gabriel threatened.

Sam halted, shirt over his head but still in his hands, tilting his head. Slowly, he lowered his arms, starting to grin in amusement. "Oh, I see. You just want me for my wings," he teased.

A snarl sounded out of Gabriel's throat at the playful words, and Sam couldn't help but chuckle. "No, Sam. Your wings are a part of you, and so far, I've yet to see anything of you that isn't absolutely gorgeous. So you bring them back out, right the fuck now, or I swear, I'll leave you with balls blue," Gabriel spoke, frown firmly in place.

Sam was blushing. He knew he was blushing. "...Blue balls, Gabe," he corrected, tugging at his energy in the same moment and bringing his wings back into sight.

Gabriel growled again. "You knew what I meant," he pouted, eyes moving over Sam's wings as if to assure himself they were indeed whole and present.

Sam chuckled again, then dropped his shirt and started on his pants. He frowned then, considering. "...Do you have lube in here? And uh...uh, do angels have sexually transmitted diseases? I mean, I'm clean, and I could probably use my healing ability to make sure you are, too, but there might be--"

"Sam. No sexually transmitted diseases," Gabriel interrupted. "...Is lube that stuff they're always using in porn?"

Sam's eyes went wide. "Ah. So that's where you learned some of those phrases," he spoke quietly, before clearing his throat. "Uh, yeah, usually clear, sometimes colored, sometimes flavored...but it helps to ensure a...pleasurable experience for all parties. Decreases friction and keeps it from hurting or burning."

Gabriel blinked, tilting his head. And then he shook it. "We don't need it," he spoke, as if realizing something. His eyes were flicking back and forth, lost in information and memories. As the angel spoke, Sam's eyes slid over his body. He carefully worked on keeping the curls of arousal from seeping through their bond. "...Angels, we have a gland around the anus that, once stimulated, begins to produce the body's own natural lubrication," Gabriel began. Sam listened carefully, a bit stunned at that information, but too busy taking in Gabriel's muscular chest and arms, his soft stomach that Sam wanted to kiss and bite, and his beautiful above-proportion erection that he wouldn't mind wrapping his lips around, to really consider it too much. Gabriel's next words drew his gaze back up, though. "Did you not...discover that while you were in cycle?"

When Sam had looked up, Gabriel had been frowning at the wall, but then looked over to meet his gaze, a vague sense of concern trickling from him. Sam gave a soft smile and shrugged. "Everything was hurting and throbbing. I was honestly afraid to touch myself too much, thinking I'd just make it all hurt worse," he answered honestly.

Gabriel's concern surged. "As a **_Sentinel_** , I've never been in cycle, but as a scientist, I can tell you...that's not normal, Sam. Your body is supposed to encourage that sort of stimulation during cycle, whether by your own hand, or by another's. ...When you left, those many weeks ago, Nariel told us that he'd done a medical examination and confirmed your body had changed entirely to match what a **_Nester's_** would be...but now I'm wondering if he missed something. We should--"

Sam cut him off, leaning down and kissing his angel deeply. The concern receded, and Sam swept it further away by pouring more of his love for Gabriel through their connection. When he broke the kiss so they could draw air, he smiled softly. "Tomorrow, after we've had our talk with everyone...hell, right after lunch, I'll ask Nariel about running some more scans. Okay?"

Gabriel nodded mutely, taking the offer easily.

"Good. Now, I think you promised me something that I whole-heartedly would like to engage in," Sam said with a bright grin, letting the building arousal flood their connection.

Gabriel's pupils blew wide and he nodded again. "Sounds like a plan, Sammy. Get those pants off already," he growled lightly.

"What, these?" Sam said, taking a step back and tugging at a belt loop idly. He looked at the ground, filling his expression with playful thoughtfulness. "Mm...no. I think I'd like to fuck you with them on," he said, shooting a teasing grin at Gabriel. When the other opened his mouth to object, Sam leaned down to his ear and nibbled it for a second before speaking. "Think about it, Gabe. Your thighs draped over my hips with the rough fabric of the denim scratching against them every time you move while you ride my cock. I think you'll like it," he whispered.

His eyes went to Gabriel's wings as they fluffed in a way they never had before. The slam of approving arousal almost made Sam stumble, but he managed to just saunter backwards, eyeing Gabriel with a broad grin as the backs of his legs met the mattress. He popped the button of his jeans and unzipped them, moving them just far enough down to free his own erection. Gabriel's eyes landed on it, and the arousal just about drowned Sam in that moment.

"...You and I are going to have so much fun, Sammy," Gabriel spoke, his voice a husky whisper.

Sam flushed, but said nothing as he moved, sitting on the bed and sliding back. He waited, but Gabriel's eyes just kept roaming over him, lingering on his eyes, his neck, his chest, his wings, his stomach, as he seemed to drink his fill. Sam smiled softly, slipping his fondness into their connection. "C'mon, Gabe. I want you. I need you," he spoke quietly.

Gabriel moved in that instant, crawling up onto the bed and over Sam's legs. As his thighs brushed the fabric on his way toward Sam's lap, he moaned his approval. "Yeah, I like this idea," he confirmed aloud, and Sam grinned brightly at him.

When Gabriel was close enough, Sam reached out and grabbed his hips, kneading the flesh softly as he kissed his lips lovingly. "Tell me what to do here, Gabe. Teach me your body," he invoked gently.

Gabriel's eyes fluttered shut for a moment. Love, warmth, and arousal in equal measures flowed from them both. Gabriel finally pushed himself to reach a hand and grab one of Sam's wrists, guiding it further back. "Just inside, about an inch deep. You'll know when you hit it. You'll need to rub it until everything's coated enough," he spoke in a whisper.

Sam frowned a bit worriedly. He'd have to press a finger inside of Gabriel, dry, and stimulate him. "...We're using lube next time. I've had someone try to go in dry on me before. It doesn't feel good, and I don't like doing this to you," Sam spoke adamantly.

Gabriel shook his head. "Our biology's different, Sam. Trust me," he insisted.

Sam frowned and pressed his forehead to Gabriel's. He reached a bit more as Gabriel's hand released his wrist, and gently prodded a circular motion around the other angel's entrance.

It wasn't as tight as it should be. ...Or, not as tight as a human's would be. He frowned in confusion, but was careful all the same as he began to press in. Gabriel's eyes fluttered shut, his breathing deepening. An intense wave of want flowed from him, but if he was hurting at all, he was withholding it from Sam somehow. So Sam pressed further in, ever careful as he sought out the gland that Gabriel had spoken of.

When he found it, Gabriel reacted as though Sam was stroking his finger against the other angel's prostate. Hell, maybe that's exactly what it was. ...Sam needed to do some research on angel biology, he thought vaguely, as he watched the blissed and broken expression on Gabriel's face raptly.

Things went from dry to sopping wet very quickly. Though Gabriel's body hadn't been as tight as Sam had initially expected, it was practically lose now, as Sam slid another finger, and then another, into his lover, rubbing the spot almost ruthlessly.

The want, need, and arousal between them surged to dizzying peaks as Sam pushed Gabriel's body toward overstimulation. How the angel hadn't already blown through his orgasm, Sam wasn't sure. He was damned close himself, feeling Gabriel's emotions at the sensation his clever fingers made.

He finally decided on mercy, stilling his fingers. It was only then that he realized Gabriel had been riding back on his hand, and he smiled and nipped at his angel's lips.

Gabriel let out a grumble, apparently feeling Sam's amusement. "Shaddup. It's been a while, okay?" he muttered.

Sam smiled broadly and shrugged. "Not teasing you...just think you're really fucking hot," he supplied, kissing Gabriel's nose.

Gabriel flushed prettily, feathers fluffing shyly.

Sam leaned forward, allowing his lips to ghost over the other's ear. "Now ride my fucking cock like our lives depend on it, Gabriel," he commanded in a whisper.

Gabriel responded almost immediately, pushing away the hand and arm that had been responsible for his previous stimulation. He then pushed Sam onto his back, reaching between them. Sam groaned aloud as he felt his hand wrap around the heated flesh of his erection, and he would forever deny the whimper that tore from him when Gabriel guided their bodies together, allowing Sam's cock to begin breaching his tight, hot ass.

Sam's breath pretty much punched out of him as Gabriel grinded down slowly, barely lifting each time, taking more and more of Sam in. Sam's hands scrabbled at the sheets for a moment before grabbing firmly onto Gabriel's thighs as he resisted the urge to thrust up. He stared up at the angel above him, and awe filled him.

The windows behind Gabriel's bed let in the setting sun, and the light spilling over his beautiful blonde hair, his multi-faceted golden wings, and his honeyed eyes made him all the more beautiful. For a second, Gabriel stilled, staring at Sam in shock as he felt what Sam was allowing to slip through.

All at once, love and possessiveness slammed into Sam's chest. Gabriel's left hand landed on the very same spot, his right hand on Sam's arm, and he started to grind and ride Sam's cock in earnest. They were both moaning messes in minutes, and Sam finally began to allow himself to thrust up into Gabriel's heat, to meet him halfway in each movement of their bodies.

Gabriel started chanting Sam's name continuously. Sam was barely aware that he himself was speaking. "So fucking beautiful. God, I love you. Oh, Gabe...that's it, gorgeous, just a bit more," he urged softly into the air between them.

Gabriel's heat clenched down around Sam suddenly, and Sam's vision went white as Gabriel's body milked an orgasm out of him. Their connection went wide in that moment, and everything was pouring between them. Love, heat, devotion, completion, eternity. It all was there, stretched out and laid before them, and all they had to do was float into it.

When Sam came to, the room was much darker than when Gabriel had been riding him so beautifully. He was still in the smaller angel, and Gabriel was slumped over his chest, breath puffing softly over his side and into his left wing.

Sam smiled warmly, nuzzling the top of his head. Who would've guessed at this, at all of this, when Moon Queen had contacted them about an atmospheric breach just months ago?

He shifted, just the barest bit, and frowned at the sticky dryness between them. He couldn't bring himself to risk waking Gabriel for clean up, though, so he laid there silently, staring at the ceiling and letting himself drift in the peaceful warmth of the connection he had with Gabriel.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I like hurting Sam too much.  
> ...Enjoy?

When Sam came to again, it was to early morning light spilling over the room in soft hues...and the highly uncomfortable sensation of Gabriel carefully pulling their bodies apart. Sam let out a groan that was half-protest, half-disgust.

Amusement, mixed with his own disgust, danced through the link between them as Gabriel chuckled. "Relax. I'll get a cloth to clean us up," the golden angel spoke.

"Mm...hurry back," Sam said with a warm, sleepy smile as he pushed up onto his elbows.

Gabriel's eyes flashed with warmth before he wrapped a towel around his waist, from where it'd been draped over the dresser by the door, then peeked out said door. A few seconds later and he was out in the hall, apparently heading for the bathroom.

Sam stared at the cracked-open door as he waited, sending wave after wave of fondness after Gabriel.

It was met with fondness, amusement, and a slight hint of annoyance. Sam blinked, tilting his head as he tried to figure that out. A couple of minutes later, though, and Gabriel was back in the room, himself already cleaned off, and a warm cloth in hand as he headed for Sam.

"Doing that when I can't reach out and kiss the ever loving hells outta you is not fair," Gabriel griped, revealing the reasoning behind his annoyance. Sam tilted his head back, laughing as Gabriel took to carefully cleaning away the dried mess on Sam's stomach and lower chest.

Just to be a dick, Sam sent an even stronger wave of fondness at Gabriel.

Gabriel stilled, then slowly looked up at Sam. "Careful now, Sammy. Or I might just decide that we need to spend the day in bed," he promised almost darkly.

Sam smirked, and would've pushed it...but he shook his head with a sigh. "Unfortunately, we have people waiting to hear from us," he countered, allowing his dismay with the situation to slip through.

Gabriel gave a soft smile, leaning down and giving Sam a soft, brief kiss, before finishing cleaning the last of the mess away. When he moved to pull away, Sam couldn't help but reach up and catch his wrist, gently tugging. Gabriel easily followed the suggested motion, leaning down on Sam's clean chest. There, Sam nuzzled into the top of his head, kissing it. "...I know you can feel it, Gabe...but I still need to express it," Sam said, pulling forth his emotions for the angel laying over him and pushing them toward him. "I love you," he whispered.

Gabe was trembling against him, and Sam quickly eased his emotions back, concerned. A moment passed, and Gabriel tilted his head to meet Sam's gaze. "I have no idea what you're doing with me, Sammy. ...I met you, and you were this...determined, steady force. I attacked you, and you didn't fight me, you kept healing Cassie. ...Cassie attacked you when you tried to heal me later, and instead of backing off, you stepped forth again, despite the danger to you. I've watched you heal until it's damn near killed you," Gabriel spoke. Sam shuddered under the emotions of his words and what was flowing between them. He closed his eyes, overwhelmed and needing to hide, just a little. "You care, so much. You allowed yourself to be used to help Nariel gain Sefir's attention. You don't just wield your energy to help people, but your whole being. And I have no idea what you're doing with me."

Sam shook his head, taking a deep breath and forcing his eyes open. "Gabriel...you sell yourself short. You're smart and clever. You and Cas both, really. You've picked up on the nuances of English in such a short time...and you've learned so much of what little knowledge humanity has to offer, too. More than that, you're good. Don't you remember telling us what you did, what brought you here?" Despair filled the link at that, but Sam quickly pushed his love against it, beat it back as much as he could. "I know it's awful, that you had to do that. That you had to doom your own people. But it was right, Gabriel. You saved another race in the process, against what would have only been a great evil," Sam whispered gently. "You saved another species. You are so good, so pure, so right. It's me that should be asking what you're doing with me. ...But I'm just happy that we are together now. I was so scared, Gabe, that what you felt toward me wasn't real, wasn't true. ...I still am," Sam confessed quietly.

Gabriel stared at Sam, then slowly shook his head. "There's nothing I can say to that. You can feel how I feel, Sam. That, and time, will eventually abate that fear, I'm sure of it," he said. He leaned up and kissed Sam softly, then pulled away. "Come on, I'm hungry, and we need to get down there before someone comes to drag us on down," he said with a smirk.

Sam chuckled, allowing the heaviness of their conversation to pass. Gabriel moved to the dresser, getting dressed. Sam figured they could shower that evening and moved, standing and pulling his jeans back up the rest of the way, thankful that they'd somehow managed to escape the mess of last night. He then found his shirt a few feet away on the floor, and pulled it back on, managing to work the fastenings on it just fine this time.

When he turned, Gabriel was still fastening one side of his shirt, so Sam stepped over, kissing the back of his neck as he worked on the other side. Affection rolled over their bond at that, and Sam smiled, his lips still against Gabriel's neck for a moment longer before he pulled away, looking down to complete his task. When Gabriel's shirt was done up, Sam took his hand, intertwining their fingers. Wordlessly, Gabriel led the way out of the room, Sam closing the door behind them.

They were halfway down the hallway when Glips, with her two sunrise wings, stepped out of the room closest to the stairs. The muffled sound of her door closing was the only warning Sam got, but it was enough. He froze and immediately cinched the connection between himself and Gabriel shut. He wouldn't allow bleed over from this. Not this.

The pain was worse than it'd ever been; if he hadn't known better, he'd think someone had sunk a blade straight into his skull. The vision was different, too. More solid, less flashes. And more than that, he was picking up emotion from the people contained in it.

The emotion was excited and charged. A large crowd, cheering and clapping in front of a stage. It was night, but with as much light as there was pouring from the stage, it was almost hard to tell that.

The pain in his head surged. _Focus_ , he told himself.

The band was starting a new song, and suddenly the wood of the stage bowed upward, then sank, and the undersides of the stage flew outward in a bright, fiery explosion. There were screams, panic, emotions being cut off as lives ended. Blood and body parts in the air.

The pain was taking over the vision entirely, blinding him, and he fought to see more. He managed to turn, to look around the area. And then he shoved the vision away.

Awareness wrapped around him as his eyes met molten gold. He blinked a couple of times, trying to get his hearing to work.

"--coming, he'll be right here. It's okay, Sam. It's alright, it's okay, Dean'll be here in just a--"

"Sam?!"

The gold--Gabriel--turned away, and Sam groaned, letting his eyes slide shut as he coughed weakly, swaying forward. A strong grip against his shoulders held him up.

"I don't know what's going on, he went to his knees, started screaming, and then he--"

"Fuck, that's new," Dean cut off Gabriel.

"Times Square," Sam whispered out, wanting to sink into sleep. His entire body was aching in the aftershock of the vision.

"Sam?" Dean spoke, closer and to Sam's side.

Sam turned his head slowly, forcing his eyes open and wincing at the light in the hallway. "Times Square," he repeated. "Tonight, I think. Time to stop it," he muttered weakly. ...His mouth tasted awful. He frowned, his nose wrinkling.

"Yeah, okay, I'll have Queenie send someone. ...Sam, are you okay?"

Sam blinked, looking at Dean uncomprehendingly. Dean's eyes went down to the floor, and Sam's gaze followed. There was vomit on the floor. ...He'd thrown up? He frowned as he stared. "I've never--"

"Yeah, that's not all. Your nose is bleeding," Dean spoke.

Sam blinked, reaching up and swiping. ...Sure enough, there was a trace of blood on his hand.

Irritation and worry flashed into him and Sam blinked, looking up at Gabriel. Carefully, he reached for their connection, opening it just the tiniest bit. Despite his best efforts, Gabriel still winced as he picked up on Sam's pain. "Fuck...just what the fuck is going on?" he asked, looking from Sam to Dean.

"Sam gets uh...visions...of things happening or about to happen. ...I've never seen it like this, though."

"It's never been like this. ...Dean, it wasn't flashes, it was like...like I was there, like I was standing right there and watching it all. ...And the pain was worse," he said. He probably should tell Dean he'd also been able to feel the emotions of the people in the vision, but he wasn't sure he liked even the idea of it. He honestly didn't like the idea of feeling anyone's emotions but Gabriel's...like in doing so, he was betraying what there was between them.

Dean, for his part, just nodded. "It seems like your abilities have changed, so it only makes sense that what you already had would become stronger, Sammy," he said easily.

Sam leveled a bitch face at him. "If you'd suspected that, you coulda warned me. ...I need a shower, a hot coffee, an icy frappucino, and enough fruit and yogurt to feed a small third world country, in that order," he demanded petulantly.

Amusement crept through the thin connection he had opened with Gabriel.

"Alright, Sam, you and I will get that shower. Dean-o, grab some of Sammy's clothes and bring 'em up, would you? And uh..." he spoke, looking down at the mess on the floor.

"Nariel's going to flip," Dean said with a laugh.

"God, you guys, don't make him clean it up," Sam said with a weak laugh.

"Nah, I think it's Sefir's turn," Gabriel chirped.

Sam laughed, sagging into Gabriel's shoulder as he did.

Dean headed off to get him clothes, and Gabriel helped haul Sam up from the floor, ushering him into the nearest bathroom. It was as Gabriel was stripping him down that Sam noticed his clothes. "Fuck...you...were you right in front of me when I threw up?" he asked, mortified.

Gabriel halted at tugging at his pants zipper. His hands came up, cupping Sam's face, and Sam brought his eyes up to meet his boyfriend's.

"Even if I'd had warning that you were about to vomit, I wouldn't have bothered to move. I may not have been much use, but I didn't want to leave you, Sam. You..." he started, and then he frowned, a surge of something very close to anger surging through their connection. "You suddenly weren't there anymore. I couldn't feel you at all, and it was like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. And you were screaming. I couldn't tell what was happening. Yeah, you've collapsed and screamed like that once before, and that's the only reason I was able to think to have Glips go get Dean. Beyond that, for all I knew, you were dying," Gabriel said. A curl of leftover desperation came from him, and Sam frowned.

"...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just...my visions are always painful. Now more than ever, apparently. I didn't want to hurt you, Gabe. I barely had any warning...that's something that's the same. I just...I couldn't let you feel that."

Gabriel sighed and shook his head, moving his hands back down to finish stripping Sam down. "I've told you I have a theory--"

"Alright. Alright, I'm ready to hear it," Sam acquiesced.

Gabriel shot him a dry look. "Good, 'bout time. ...I think that the pain that comes over the connection isn't just originating, but dividing. Distributing. I have nothing to back that up, just...just instinct. ...And I don't really like the implications of that, of what that means for the cycle you went through, and what it could have done to you had the link not been there. ...So don't close it like that again, alright? I'd rather take some pain and make things easier on you, than watch you suffer and be unable to do anything," he said, already stripped out of his own shirt at this point and starting on his pants.

"Gabriel...I..." Sam spoke, struggling. What could he say that would get Gabriel to back down on this? "...I don't want to be a source of pain to you. I know that you aren't going to see it that way, but I do. I can't stand the thought of...of making you hurt. And really, it's not something healthy. I mean, you'll eventually start to associate me with pain, and--"

"No. Sam, all I will ever associate you with is the will to do good. That's all you've ever been. The strength, the power, and the will to do good. And I love you for it. I will never associate you with pain, no matter how much of it pours between us," Gabriel spoke.

Sam felt his wings sag low as he shut his eyes. A concerned rumble came from Gabriel's throat, echoing across their bond. A hand touched his upper arm gently, and Sam carefully leaned into the touch. "I love you so much, Gabe. ...And I hate the thought of doing this, but...I will. Because...because I trust in your words, and even more in the emotions I feel from you. So I'm gonna trust that you won't let this destroy us," Sam spoke quietly.

"...Thank you, Sam," Gabriel spoke sincerely. With that, he wordlessly guided Sam into the shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crappy place to end the chapter, but it's bedtime. Sorry, guys.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thor? I apparently lied. I didn't mean to. The boys made it so. Enjoy~

When Sam had reopened the connection between them in the hallway, Gabriel had immediately been able to tell it wasn't the same as the night before, or that morning. It was...thin. Careful, hesitant. Much as it had been at the beginning the previous evening, before Sam had started to relax into it. And he supposed he could understand, with how fearful Sam was of passing pain to him, but at the moment, he wasn't. Sure, Gabriel could tell Sam was in pain and aching, but he felt no physical pain himself. It strengthened his belief that the link between them allowed for them to share pain that was too much for one of them to handle.

Gabriel watched in something akin to fascination as water sluiced over Sam's body, trickling over his feathers and down his wings. ...He wasn't as good at restraining his emotions from the link as Sam was, apparently, because Sam suddenly turned to look at him, a heat in his eyes that matched Gabriel's building arousal.

Gabriel shook his head at Sam. "Not now. You've got a worried brother down there, we both need to eat, and we need to talk to everyone," he spoke softly.

Sam pouted, and Gabriel's arousal easily shifted to amusement. Sam's pout deepened, and the wing closest to Gabriel flicked, flinging water at him. Gabriel couldn't help but laugh, reaching for some soap. He felt a curl of almost questioning curiosity, and when he began to move a soap laden cloth over Sam's body, it immediately shifted into a satisfied happiness. Gabriel shot a smirk up at Sam. "...You'll have to wash your own hair, kiddo. I can't reach up that high," he teased.

Sam's pout returned, but he moved and grabbed a bottle anyway, starting to lather up his hair while Gabriel took slow care of his body.

He really did try. He did. But fuck, Sam was just...handsome, beautiful, gorgeous? Gabriel wasn't sure there was a word to define it.

He was hardly surprised to find Sam half-hard when he reached the other angel's cock, even if he hadn't been feeling much in the way of arousal from him. He frowned in consternation at that, looking up at Sam. "I'm not sure how you're hiding or restraining things, but cut it out. I--" he began, but Sam had immediately complied. The link between them had opened wider, just a bit, and a strong wave of arousal and lust surged over it.

"Better?" Sam teased, amusement creeping along his other emotions.

"...Okay, fuck it, they can wait," Gabriel spoke, pushing Sam under the water to rinse him off a bit.

Sam laughed, grinning broadly. There was a happy sort of dancing feeling filtering through their link at that. Gabriel smirked a bit in response, and no sooner was Sam's hair clear of shampoo than he pushed him into the wall, almost roughly.

Sam's arousal spiked dizzyingly, and Gabriel grinned. Sam liked to be manhandled. Father and Mother, was he ever perfect....

He moved, placing a hand on the back of Sam's neck, and another on his hip, bending him a bit to get him at the right height and angle. Sam's wings gave an aborted flutter in response to the way Gabriel was positioning them, a soft moan breaking past his lips. Gabriel slid his hand down from Sam's neck, pressing it gently along his spine, past his shoulder blades and wing joints, over his mid back, and into the small of it. There was a solid wave of heady arousal and want from Sam following the movement, and it ratcheted to a completely new height when Gabriel began teasing his fingers at the cleft of Sam's ass.

There was a sense of hesitation, followed by a wave of dark playfulness, then. "Gabe...if you don't split me open with your huge cock within the next five minutes, then I'm going to turn things around on you," Sam's voice came, tone somehow light, but filled with dark promise at the same time.

An answering shiver went down Gabriel's spine as he considered the words with a hum. "Fun as last night was, Sammy...I think I'd like to be inside you this time," Gabriel spoke in response, his own tone light as well.

With his fingers still playing at the top of Sam's rump, the other angel let out a growl that mirrored the frustration over their link. "Then, uhm...get on with it? What are you doing, anyway, admiring the view?" Sam griped.

"Oh, yes," Gabriel said with a grin, allowing amusement to spill between them once again. "It's a hell of a sight, kiddo."

"Gabr--" Sam started, but cut off with a short yelp and a deep moan as the shorter angel thrust a finger into him suddenly. "Fuck...fuck, how does that feel good? That's..."

"You're going to have to get used to your new biology, Sam. ...With me, obviously," Gabriel spoke with a grin, allowing another surge of possessiveness to pass through them.

Sam's emotions in response to that were a wave of calming, soothing emotion. "Only you," he promised softly.

Gabriel's heart stuttered at the words. Whatever he was emitting into their connection in that moment had Sam moaning against the wall again, and brought forth some sort of indescribable emotion from him in response. For just a second, Gabriel closed his eyes and sank into it. In the next moment, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss between Sam's shoulder blades, then trailed his lips over to where the base joint of his wing met his back, nipping gently on the flesh. He smirked when the moan that drew filled the bathroom easily, and he wouldn't be surprised if it'd been loud enough for the whole floor to hear. He gave a gentle kiss to the offended flesh, then leaned back away, looking at where his finger had disappeared inside Sam. He gently moved it just a bit deeper, tilting his head before curling it suddenly.

"FUCK!" Sam screamed out, his back bowing and his wings fluttering madly. Gabriel grinned and started to carefully stimulate the gland, feeling that Sam was too close to the edge for anything more than the soft caress against it.

"That would be the general idea," Gabriel spoke cheekily. Amusement and annoyance in equal measure met his words, and Sam turned his head, raising an eyebrow at Gabriel. If Gabriel hadn't felt his amusement, he'd have assumed Sam was only annoyed, by the dry look he shot him.

"Yeah, well, get on with it," Sam shot back, before a smirk curled his lips.

Gabriel let out a short laugh, looking back down. Sam's body was definitely slick enough at this point, but he needed just a bit of stretching, much like he'd had the sense to do for Gabriel last night. So Gabriel added another finger, gently pulling them away from the gland to keep Sam from the edge, and started to stretch him a bit more. Sam gave a short, cut off whine at the cessation of the stimulation, but it was the only protest he made; there wasn't even any sort of protest filtering through the connection, and Gabriel grinned at that. Sam didn't want to come until his body was stretched over Gabriel's dick, and it made something primal and carnal within Gabriel very, very happy.

The emotion from Gabriel had Sam pleading barely three seconds later. "Fuck, fuck, that's enough, just _fucking_ fuck me, Gabe! Now! It's enough!" Sam pleaded aloud.

"Just a bit more, Sammy. Hold on," Gabriel spoke soothingly.

Sam's protest flared through him then. It was reckless, heedless of the damage that could be done by Gabriel trying to push in too soon. But it spurred Gabriel to work faster, slipping another finger in. Sam whined, his forehead moving and softly thunking against the wall. "Please...God, Gabriel, just _please_!" he begged, voice breaking under the strain of his plea.

Gabriel shuddered under the sheer want that flooded him, the connection opening just a bit wider with the strain of it. "Fuck, Sam," he breathed.

"Like you said, general idea, now get on with it!" Sam growled out.

Gabriel chuckled, shaking his head as he withdrew his fingers. Sam didn't so much as whimper at the loss, an eagerness filling the space between them.

Gabriel moved and positioned his cock at Sam's entrance, then paused, considering. He looked up at the back of Sam's head, then smirked, waiting.

Annoyance flashed hot and sharp between them within seconds, and before Sam could say anything verbally, Gabriel reached up, grabbing the top base of his wings, and thrusting in as hard and deep as he could manage.

Sam's head tilted back, his mouth open, but not a sound came out of him.

What came over the bond had Gabriel grinning and starting to pound into Sam relentlessly, though. There was surprise, bright and multi-faceted hovering above everything. There was shock at the sensations, and not a small amount of pleasure in addition. There was a sense of satisfaction, and for a second, Gabriel almost thought he could hear what that satisfaction entailed. A, " _Fuck yes, someone finally is doing this right_ ," but Gabriel decided to ignore the implications of possibly hearing a thought and what it meant in that moment. He was far too busy to be distracted, and whatever that was, it was swept away under the current of absolute happiness with the way they were moving together. It'd taken mere seconds for Sam to be on board, to be thrusting back into him, his back arching deliciously and his channel clenching and spasming around him in the most beautiful way. It wasn't the tightness of an orgasm; Sam was deliberately forcing his muscles to tighten around him, trying to wring Gabriel's orgasm from him.

Gabriel was trying to remember why that wasn't a good idea, filling Sam up, when he was so perfect for him.

"Gabriel!" Sam cried out, finally finding his voice. "Oh, fuck, yeeess!" he moaned out, head falling forward between him and the wall as he kept moving back into Gabriel's harsh thrusts.

"So perfect, Sam...fuck, gorgeous, where have you been?" Gabriel muttered, barely audible over the shower and the obscene slap of skin on skin as their bodies clashed together.

"Gabe...Gabe, gonna...fuck, I'm almost there!" Sam cried loudly. Seconds later and he was moaning filthily, his body clenching at Gabriel in a way that only an orgasm could entail.

Gabriel felt his hips start to stutter in response, and a moment of clarity shot through him in that moment. He couldn't come in Sam...not without them having a good long talk about what they wanted together.

It took everything he had to release Sam's wings and withdraw from his body completely.

Confusion lanced through Sam at that, his body sinking to his knees in front of Gabriel. He was otherwise hazy in his emotions, floating in bliss as he was, as he turned to look up at him.

Gabriel shook his head, grabbing his own throbbing erection, focusing on the memory of the sensations from just moments before. But before he could even start to work on stroking himself through the beginnings of his own orgasm, Sam was catching his wrist and pulling it away. Gabriel had but a second of confusion before Sam's mouth was wrapped around his cock.

"Oh, fuck," he breathed. He almost lost his footing as Sam's tongue and mouth moved over him, licking, kissing, sucking. " ** _Father and Mother, you are so fucking perfect_** ," he whimpered, tilting his head back in bliss.

He felt Sam smile around him, but it was a barely-there gesture with as wide as his mouth was stretched around him. There was a curl of wickedness in their connection, and then Gabriel's orgasm was forcefully pulled from him as Sam slammed his mouth and throat all the way down around Gabriel's thick erection, swallowing around the head. Gabriel gave a wordless shout as his spilled down Sam's beautiful throat.

He managed to lock his knees to keep from collapsing, and as he came down, he was aware of Sam rubbing the outside of his thighs gently, softly coaxing him back to himself. The taller angel slowly pulled his mouth back, giving the slit of Gabriel's cock a last playful lick, before looking up at him with an almost cheeky grin.

Gabriel felt overwhelmed for a good moment. Not by the love that Sam sent him, but by the love he was feeling himself. Sam felt it too, and groaned softly, eyes fluttering shut as he leaned forward, head resting against Gabriel's thigh.

They stayed like that for a good few moments, basking in their shared emotions and one another's presence. Finally, though, Sam pushed himself up on shaky legs, Gabriel instantly reaching out to help brace him. Sam shot him an appreciative smile, then nodded toward the still-running shower. "Come on, we'd best get done. ...And I'm definitely starving now," he said with a laugh. Gabriel just grinned in response, and they both made their way under the water. Thankfully, this place seemed to never run out of hot water, like Tower had.

They found clothes for Sam outside of the bathroom door, and Gabriel wrapped a towel from the bathroom linen closet around his waist as Sam dressed. He waited on him patiently, and Sam readily followed Gabriel back to his bedroom, where the angel dressed.

It wasn't but minutes later that they were back downstairs. Dean sat at the table, with the other angels, empty plates in front of them.

Dean shot Sam a glare. "I heard shit I never wanted to hear," he spoke.

Sam's wings fluffed in agitation, and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, remember the apartment we had before Moon Queen set us up in Tower?" he countered.

Dean had the decency to flush. Beside him, Cassie started to frown, wings fluffing up as well.

Sam apparently noticed it, too, because he looked at him then. "That was long before you came, Cas. Relax, okay?" he spoke softly.

Dean blinked, then turned to Cassie, frowning in concern and starting to murmur soft words to him as Sam headed toward the kitchen. With barely a second's hesitation, Gabriel followed.

Sam headed straight for the coffee pot, that barely had enough for one cup. He frowned at it, then his wings gave a dismissive flick, and he poured it into a cup before holding it out to Gabriel. "Imma fix me a fresh pot, you can have this," he offered up.

Gabriel smiled, stepping forward and taking the cup. He then tilted his head up expectantly, and Sam huffed a laugh, leaning down and kissing him tenderly. Gabriel couldn't help but smile against his lover's lips. They parted seconds later, and Sam saw to fixing up a new pot of coffee.

Gabriel wandered to the stove, looking over the remaining soupy looking stuff there. He frowned, allowing his confusion to surge forth as he looked over at Sam. Sam blinked, looking up and over. "...Sausage gravy! You eat it over biscuits. It's really good," he answered the unspoken question.

"Hm," Gabriel let out, looking back at the pot. After a few more seconds, he went and added sugar and cream to his coffee, and then grabbed a plate, plopping biscuits onto his plate. Before he could spoon the gravy over them, though, Sam stopped him with a gentle hand. He looked up at him in question, but Sam just smiled and reached to the biscuits, breaking them open in half and laying them out on the plate. Gabriel wasn't sure what difference it made, but once Sam was done and had stepped back, he ladled the gravy over them generously, and grabbed about half of the remaining bacon sitting on a nearby plate.

He stood back, holding his coffee and food, waiting on Sam. The other angel first fixed himself a plate, giving the coffee time to brew, and then poured himself a cup as well, fixing it up the way he liked it (with significantly less sugar than Gabriel believed it needed).

When done, he turned to Gabriel and flashed a weak smile. "Alright...let's go get this over with," he said quietly.

"Yeah. But remember, kiddo...I'm here with ya for it," Gabriel responded with a warm smile. Sam shot one back, fondness and love surging over their bond.

With that, they turned and headed back to the dining room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will /try/ and get another chapter up tonight. I'm not sure if it's in the cards or not. Sorry?


	34. Chapter 34

Sam and Gabriel took their seats near the end of the almost excessively large table that everyone was sitting at.

Sam was allowed one sip of coffee and to bring his fork halfway to his mouth, before Dean cleared his throat expectantly. At that, Sam stilled and shot Dean bitch face number 82. He huffed out a sigh and set the fork down, feeling Gabriel's annoyance match his through their connection.

"Alright," he started, as he considered. He then glanced to Cas. "Mind translating for the others? I'm going to speak English much as I can here, since Dean'll whine and huff if I don't," he spoke.

Cas nodded in agreement easily. Dean let out a growl. "I won't--"

"You would, Dean," Cas interrupted instantly. He shot Dean a dry look, seemingly completely ignoring his boyfriend's betrayed expression. "You know you would. Quit objecting and let Sam and Gabriel get to it."

Dean pouted petulantly, sinking into his chair and glaring in Sam's direction like it was all his fault.

Sam rolled his eyes, then looked at Gabriel, considering where to begin. Gabriel met his gaze and gave a warm smile, before turning back to Dean and taking the reigns for a moment.

"So, let's start with what you all already know," he spoke. "Sam was dying, and manifested his...his soul's energy, and I reached back, allowing my grace to react and following the instinct to wrap around what I felt from Sam. ...I allowed it to flow into him," he spoke. While this had been told to them already, Gabriel was taking the time to elaborate it all. "My grace and Sam's energy...they built a strong power between them. ...I remember Sam losing consciousness, but he was...I could feel him more strongly than when I'd first allowed my grace to flow into him. And I was left with an overwhelming amount of power flowing through me. I'm not gonna lie, guys," he continued. Cas was translating as Gabriel's eyes swept down the table, meeting each of the angel's eyes before coming back to Dean's. "It hurt. I felt like it might make me explode, or melt...or both. ...The same instinct that had me pouring my grace into Sam's soul also told me I needed to release the energy. And given that there was a considerable threat around us, it was easy to decide how to do that. ...And it was completely natural and instinctual in execution, too."

Sam picked up from here. "I can't be certain of anything, really. This is completely foreign territory, for every last one of us. All I have is theory and speculation. I believe that introducing my soul to grace healed me in that instant, and wound up saving my life." Sam paused for a moment, frowning in thought. "...What I have is still a soul," he spoke, looking to Gabriel for confirmation. At Gabriel's nod, he looked back to Dean. "But it feels different than it did. I think that introducing my soul to grace triggered a change on a very base level. Why I became an angel and Gabriel didn't become human probably has to do with the fact that angels are, essentially, more than a human is. Their biology is vastly different than I would've thought. And then there's the fact that they have wings. It makes more sense that I would become angel, than it would for Gabriel to become human."

Gabriel and Sam both paused then, allowing everyone to absorb the information so far.

Sam half expected one of the angels to bring up a question, but surprisingly, it was Dean that did so, first. "So...the light show, that's, what? This power that builds between you two or whatever?" Before Sam could open his mouth to answer, Dean plunged forward. "I mean, I saw all those flowers this morning...I don't know how I missed them yesterday. What the hell all can that power do?"

"I don't know," Sam answered swiftly. "Obviously, it can cause destruction...or life."

Cas translated again, but he stuttered over the last words, frowning to himself. Sam glanced at him, curious, but the angel was looking at the table in thought.

"Okay," Dean spoke again, drawing his gaze back. "Okay, next thing...how do you know the freaky alien language?"

Sam shot him bitch face number 26. "Enochian, Dean. The language is called Enochian. ...I don't have an explanation for that one."

"Just like I don't have an explanation for how some of those flowers out there are not of Earth," Gabriel chimed in.

Sam frowned in thought, his mind dancing about and starting to connect dots. "Maybe...maybe it has to do with Gabriel's grace siphoning through me. Maybe it leaves behind innate knowledge," he offered up, looking at Gabriel. He wondered what would happen if he tried to push his soul through Gabriel's grace in the same way.

Gabriel looked at him then, tilting his head in question as he felt Sam's curiosity. "...Later," Sam murmured. He then turned back to Dean. "There's more," he began.

Dean tensed and frowned. "Of course there is," he muttered drily.

As one, Gabriel and Sam offered him bitch face 12. It startled a half-chuckle out of Dean, and his brother relaxed into his seat and waited to hear what they would say next.

Sam swept his eyes over all those at the table, listening closely. This time, Sam spoke to all of them, not just Dean, though he spoke English still and allowed Cas to pick back up translating.

"...The reason that Gabriel had seizures the same time I did is because there is a psychic connection between us. We're still learning it, but we've found now that we can access it easily and share emotion...and apparently pain, when it becomes overwhelming."

Something spiked out of Gabriel at that, and Sam halted, frowning over at him in question. Gabriel frowned and slid down into his seat, not meeting Sam's gaze. "...Gabriel?" he prompted gently.

Unease spiked out of Gabriel, and he slowly looked up at Sam, looking like he was afraid to speak. When Sam let his concern filter over their connection, the other angel sighed and looked away. "...It might be more than just emotion," he spoke. Sam blinked, raising his eyebrows, and waited for him to elaborate. Gabriel scowled down at the table and huffed out a another sigh. "...I think I heard a thought out of you earlier," he confessed.

"...What?" Sam breathed, half asking what the thought was, and half asking if Gabriel was being serious.

Gabriel glanced at Dean, then at the angels, seeming to consider speaking it aloud. Finally, he looked back at Sam. "Not verbatim, but you were pretty happy about things being done _right_ ," he offered quietly.

It took Sam a second, but he placed it. He felt himself flush darkly, his wings lifting a bit in surprise. "Oh. Well, that's something we'll have to explore later, see what it takes exactly to push thoughts across," he spoke, avoiding looking at Dean for a moment.

"...I don't think I want to know," his brother's voice came.

Sam didn't respond, instead redirecting his attention to his food, finally taking the bite sitting on his fork. It was semi-cold now, but still pretty good. He chewed and swallowed.

"...Well, anything else to add?" Dean prompted.

Annoyance rolled back and forth between Sam and Gabriel. And then Sam felt a smug amusement out of Gabriel.

"Oh, yeah. The sex is fantastic, especially when you can feel the--"

"DUDE!" Dean yelled out, face first flushing, then blanching.

Sam laughed, reaching out and gently squeezing Gabriel's thigh. He then glanced over at Gabriel, staring for a moment. He pulled the thought forward, shoving it toward his lover with everything he had.

_'God, I love you.'_

Gabriel, chuckling, blinked and stilled, the smile slipping off his face as he looked at Sam in wonder. "...You pick up this shit so fast," he said quietly.

Sam ducked his head shyly and shrugged. "When I know it's there, it's easier to do it," he supplied quietly, getting another forkful of food.

When he looked up again, Sam dismissed the subject entirely. He'd told them everything he could, everything he knew at this time. His eyes found Nariel, who was staring at his empty plate in thought. " _ **Nariel**_ ," he spoke, to draw the angel's attention. The angel in question blinked, wings giving an aborted startle motion as he looked up. "... ** _I need you to run some more scans over me, maybe do a more in depth examination?_** " he paused, glancing at Gabriel, then back to Nariel. " ** _I've been made aware that there were several things abnormal about my cycle, and I'd like to see if we could make sense of them, if you don't mind_**."

Nariel shook his head immediately. " ** _Of course not. Do you want to do so now_**?" he asked.

Sam frowned in consideration. ".. ** _.No. After lunch some time, I think, if that's alright_**." When Nariel nodded, Sam shot him a grateful smile. " ** _Thanks, man,_** " he said.

" ** _Of course, Chrys_** ," the turquoise winged angel responded.

In this time, Dean had stood and started to gather plates. Mefusa rose seconds later, beginning to help out in the clean up.

Sam and Gabriel wound up being left alone moments later, to finish their meal in peace, the angels all heading their separate directions, save Mefusa who was helping with dishes, and Cas who was lingering in the kitchen near Dean, but staying out of the way.

Sam looked over at Gabriel, sending another wave of fondness toward him before he spoke. "I was thinking...what do you say about going grocery shopping with me?" When Gabriel shot him a shocked expression, Sam gave a warm smile. "The world's going to have to grow used to the presence of angels eventually. We can't expect the others to be content with only interacting with one another forever. So it's best that we start with us. We both speak English, and if we encounter a cultural barrier, I'll know what to do. ...We also need to start working on teaching the others English so--"

"They've been learning. They just aren't dedicating themselves to it the way Cassie and I did," Gabriel interrupted. At Sam's surprise, he shrugged. "They don't have to worry about not being able to communicate yet. They have you, Dean, Cassie, and me to help with that. So they're not as avid in learning it." Gabriel paused for a moment, then nodded, seemingly more to himself than to Sam. "And I think you're right. Besides, I'd like to see what a store looks like, and we do need more supplies," he finished.

Sam smiled brightly at him, then returned his attention to his meal, eager to finish so they could head out. He wanted to show Gabriel more of his world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many words of explanation, yes.  
> Also, I have a plot bunny trying to creep its way in. Expect a surprise in the next chapter or two~~  
> And finally, I'll try to get another chapter or two in tomorrow, but I was handed a new (and rather large) project at work today. So it's going to be drawing a lot of my focus. Also, I'm taking Saturday off from writing because I have not touched my school work, and it's been almost two full weeks since it started up for me. Tha's no good.  
> (We'll see if I follow through on my commitment to not write on Saturday, though. I'm a total whore for my muse, and if she decides something needs to be written /right the fuck now/, I'm not going to ignore her.)


	35. Chapter 35

When they finished their food, Sam took their plates and handed them off to Mefusa. By this point, Dean had taken off to parts unknown with Cas. Likely to molest his pregnant boyfriend. Sam smiled to himself, thanking Mefusa for working on the dishes, then headed for the front entrance, where Gabriel had gone to wait.

As he neared, he tilted his head, blatantly checking out Gabe's ass as the angel put on shoes that were kept on a rack by the door. Gabriel paused as he finished putting on the second shoe, feathers ruffling playfully as he looked over his shoulder. "You put any more hunger in our connection there, and I'm going to drag you back upstairs," he teased.

Sam opened his mouth, then shut it. And then he smirked, and Gabriel frowned, curiosity surging between them as he stood up straight.

Sam shut his eyes and focused as much as he could, not sure just how much concentration it would take to send his imaginings to Gabriel. Hell, he still didn't know how much it took to send thoughts across, really.

_His finger slipping into Gabriel, stimulating his gland, making his body slick and open, and then licking up into his welcoming hole, tasting him, seeing just what sort of flavor he'd have, gripping his hips tightly as his tongue thrust in and stroked his insides as much as he could manage...._

He could tell it worked when Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath and arousal shot outta him. "Oh, fuck, kiddo," the other angel murmured. Sam grinned broadly as he opened his eyes to see Gabriel's feathers ruffled in an entirely different way, wings raised in surprise, pupils blown wide.

Sam stalked forward slowly, leaning down once close enough, until they were sharing the same breath. "Tonight, yeah? You can ride my face until you're screaming for it, and then...I might let you come," he teased softly.

Gabriel fucking _whimpered_. It was the most beautiful sound Sam had ever heard. "How the fuck are you so perfect?" Gabriel whispered into the breath between them.

Sam chuckled and moved slightly up, pressing a kiss to Gabriel's forehead and moving away to put his own shoes on.

The arousal was simmering, but there was a sudden burst of love across Sam's chest, and he had to still for just a second in its wake. He then sent his own wave of love back, shooting Gabriel a loving smile over his shoulder in addition, before focusing on getting his shoes on.

Once he was done, Gabriel led the way outside, looking up at the sky as Sam followed and shut the door behind him. He then turned to look at the taller angel. "So which direction? I noticed a small village or whatever when we flew the ship in, but it looked more like a way-point than somewhere to go shopping," he asked.

Sam considered with a faint frown. "The city Tower's in is about two hours from here, and honestly? I could stand to stop by there and pick up some personal items. Nothing super important, other than another mask and my armor...that honestly needs to be altered now anyway. ...Would you mind if we made a pit stop there?" he asked, looking over at Gabriel.

Gabriel smiled warmly, shaking his head. "Not at all. Think I might grab up all those books Dean-o got us back when, too. I'm sure the others here would like to see what humans have to offer. And Father knows Nariel would love to get ahold of a biology book," he supplied.

Sam nodded with a soft smile. "...So, flying that way, then? Or would you prefer to teleport?" he asked. Gabriel blinked, tilting his head. It took a second for it to click for Sam. " ** _Teleport_** ," he spoke easily in Enochian. It seemed the word translated well, because understanding surged between them at that.

Gabriel shook his head. "Fly. I need to stretch my wings. And I'm willing to bet you need to develop the muscles on yours more," he ventured.

Sam raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in a short nod. "You'd be right. I'm so used to using energy to fly, I pretty much do it automatically. ...But we're going to take the easy way back when we have everything. Not only do I not want to overdo it on my wings, but carrying all that stuff on top of it will be a burden," he spoke. Gabriel gave a short nod of agreement, then with a beat of his wings, he was taking to the sky.

Sam paused a moment, watching in something akin to awe as his lover took to the sky. He was amazing, a completely glorious sight to behold.

Gabriel's amusement at Sam's emotions filtered down to him, and Sam wondered how far the connection between them would stretch, with them allowing it open like they had been. ...Something to experiment with at another time, he supposed. With little more thought, he stretched his wings wide and started beating them against the air, easily lifting up and starting to lead Gabe in the correct direction.

Sam was aching through his wings and deep into his back by the time they reached Tower. He was panting a bit, too, and concern was filtering over from Gabriel as the other angel drew nearer. Sam twisted a bit in the air, shooting him a reassuring smile. "We're almost there, it's--" he started to call out.

But something slammed into his side suddenly, and he yelped. He felt it before he could turn enough to see, as the villain took him plummeting toward the ground.

Surprise and then sharp worry was coming from Gabriel. And as Sam's bright anger flowed out of him, Gabriel seemed to understand the situation, his own anger burning into Sam's chest.

Sam twisted in the air, using his energy rather than his wings to suspend their rapid descent.

The villain looked surprised for just a second, then grinned madly. "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy dissecting you, pretty," he purred, backing off just enough to avoid the blow Sam lashed out with.

"The angels are off limits, asshole. ...Though, you know what? I don't think you're gonna get a chance to spread that message," Sam snarled in response.

The villains eyebrows shot up, even as he kept right on smirking. "Angels, huh? That what your race is really called?" he asked, sweeping to the side in time to avoid Gabriel diving at him with his blade.

"Yep," Sam responded. No use in explaining it further to the evil asshole. With this attack, Sam's protective instincts were flaring wildly, and he wasn't looking to knock this dude out and turn him over. Maybe this was what the angels felt whenever someone attacked them, the reason behind them not leaving villains alive. If so, he could understand a good bit more, the way they so viciously took out any threat to their well being, to their species.

The villain was laughing at this information, again dodging Gabriel as he flew back upward with a growl.

Sam sent a pulse toward Gabriel, silently requesting him to come to his side. A bare few seconds later, his lover was complying, hovering beside him, wings beating the air softly. Sam's own wings were still, and he saw the villain observing that, blatant curiosity on his face.

"Mmm. And just how is it that you speak English?" the villain finally spoke.

"Does that really matter? You're about to be dead," Sam spoke coolly. Surprise filtered from Gabriel and Sam blinked, realizing he'd been keeping things from their connection again. He allowed it to flow, the protective, righteous anger that had him actually wanting to kill. Concern from Gabriel surged back and Sam frowned, sending back his own determination on this.

"Oh, I'd like to see you try, pretty-boy," the villain taunted, oblivious to the silent exchange between Gabriel and himself.

Anger surged from Gabriel again, and Sam smirked a bit as he considered. His eyes slowly moved to Gabriel, then down to Gabriel's blade. He wondered about that, if he had one he could call forth from the ether, or whatever, now.

Gabriel felt his curiosity, he knew that, but the other angel wasn't looking over, wasn't allowing the distraction from the evil dick in front of them.

So, Sam reached in at his energy, pulling and twisting it, trying to prompt him to give him what he wanted out of it.

It responded in flickers and waves, but it didn't seem to understand the request. Sam looked back at the villain with a scowl, forcing his thoughts onto the blades he'd seen the angels manifest over the past, still pulling at his soul.

All at once, there was a tingling sensation in his right hand. He flexed it and tugged at his soul in response.

...It wasn't a blade that appeared, but a broad sword swathed in flame that was too orange to be natural.

Gabriel lost a bit of height as his wings stilled in surprise for just a brief second, before once again beating against the air.

"Uh..." the villain let out, eyeing the sword.

Sam lifted it in front of himself, looking it over. "...Not what I was going for. But I'll take it," he admitted out loud, eyes moving through the flame to land on the villain.

It seemed to dawn on the asshole then that he was in over his head, because he turned to fly away, to flee.

Sam pulled at his soul again, appearing in front of the villain in a blindingly quick teleport.

"Ah, fuck," the villain muttered, before suddenly pitching and falling through the sky, engaging in evasive maneuvers.

Sam went to follow, but a surge of varying emotions from Gabriel stopped him short. There was worry, concern, an overwhelming amount of awe, and a fierce protectiveness that Sam couldn't quite decipher properly. He frowned and looked up at Gabriel, sending his own concern and confusion back.

A large wave of hesitance rolled between them, and it was powerful enough to alarm Sam. He moved toward Gabriel immediately, carefully keeping the sword at his side. As if it freaking sensed that he was trying to keep it from harming the other angel, the flame along the blade extinguished without so much as a whisper of heat or smoke.

"Gabe?" he questioned softly. Gabriel watched him draw near, eyes flicking to the sword every few seconds. When Sam spoke, though, he shook his head. Sam felt the connection between them suddenly go thin, and his heart clenched in his chest at the sensation. Gabriel had never tried to manipulate the link; he'd pretty much followed Sam's lead on it. Sam sent a wide thread of concern to Gabriel. "Gabe, talk to me," he pleaded softly, trying to figure out what was going on.

Gabriel's eyes went to the sword again, and Sam understood suddenly that, whatever was going on, it had to do with Sam drawing forth a flaming broad sword rather than a cylindrical blade. Giving himself a second to consider, he decided that right now, the sword was no longer needed. The villain was gone, there was no longer any threat...and it was clearly making Gabriel uncomfortable in some way, for some reason. So he reached for his soul's energy in the same way he had when he'd called it forward, and the weight of it vanished from his hand. Gabriel blinked in response, his eyes slowly coming back to Sam's face.

"...I need to talk to...to Cassie at least, before we discuss... _that_ ," he spoke quietly.

Sam frowned, not liking the statement. He nodded though and reached up toward Gabriel. But Gabriel flinched, and Sam stilled, eyes wide and heart twisting painfully in his chest. Immediately, before it could filter through, he cinched the connection between them shut.

Gabriel openly whimpered in response, shaking his head. "Sam, no, wait, I'm--"

"It's fine, Gabe. It is. But for right now, I think we should keep it closed," Sam cut him off, voice quiet. His chest ached where he was used to feeling Gabriel, but he ignored it, turning back in the direction of Tower. He didn't say anything further and continued forth despite hearing Gabriel trying to make protests behind him. Once Gabriel was ready to talk to him and explained why the sight of the sword was enough to make him flinch away from Sam, then Sam supposed he'd open it back up...if Gabe wanted it at that point.

By the time they entered Tower, Gabriel had ceased making protests, but there was pretty much a permanent frown marring his features. Sam wanted to reach out, to smooth away the lines to the other angel's face, but he wouldn't do that, not when there was a possibility of Gabriel flinching away again.

As Gabriel gathered up books, Sam went on down to his old room and gathered up personal affects into a duffel. When he came back into the dining area, there were two large stacks of books sitting on the table.

"I'll be right back, then," Sam spoke, not bothering to so much as look at where Gabriel stood to the side as he stepped forward. With the strap of the duffel over his shoulder, and one hand on each stack of books, he tugged at his energy. A tug around his gut, and in the next instant, he was standing in the dining area of the compound, the books dropping just the tiniest bit to land on the table in front of him.

"What t...Sam?" Dean's voice came from behind him. Sam carefully kept his face void of emotion as he turned to face his brother. ...That was apparently a mistake as Dean's eyes narrowed and he moved over swiftly, scanning over Sam with searching eyes. "Where have you been? What happened? Where's Gabe?" he questioned just as quickly.

"At Tower. We're going grocery shopping in a bit, and then we'll be back," Sam supplied.

"Sam," Dean growled. "What happened?"

"Nothing, Dean. Just a minor encounter with a villain, that's it," Sam spoke quietly. He suddenly felt drained and withdrew slightly, getting ready to go drop off his things in his room.

Dean's hand shot out and gripped his arm tightly. Sam felt his wings flare up as he shot his brother a hard glare.

Dean met his glare head on, but concern was mixed into his gaze. "Sam. Do not keep things from me, dammit. You know better than to do that," he entreated firmly.

Sam felt his wings go slack as he sighed. A quick scan of the wide open area revealed not an angel in sight. So Sam held up his hand and called forth the sword. Its flame flared bright and hot, and Dean jumped slightly, taking a step back as he eyed it with wide eyes.

"This happened. Gabriel...I don't know, he seemed to be in awe of it for a moment, and then he..." Sam started, before banishing the weapon from his hand. "...And then he flinched when I tried to touch him," Sam confessed quietly, looking at the floor.

Dean was quiet for a moment. "Okay. Okay, well, I'll--"

"Do not mention it to Cas," Sam cut in immediately, bringing his eyes up to meet Dean's. At Dean's frown, full of protest and concern, Sam continued. "Don't. Gabriel said he needed to talk to Cas about it before he'd talk to me about it. And honestly, I think I'd rather Cas hear about whatever this is, whatever's going on, from Gabriel, rather than someone that doesn't know their culture or history," Sam said.

Dean was still frowning, but he nodded in agreement. "Alright, not a word outta me. But!" he began, pointing a finger at Sam. "You let me know what the hell's going on soon as you know, got it?"

"Yeah, Dean. I got it," Sam assured with a faint smile.

"Alright, go on. The pixie's waiting on you, after all," he said. Sam nodded with another flash of smile, and headed off down the nearby hallway, making for his room. Once his bag was dropped on his bed, he paused, staring around the room for just a moment, then huffed a sigh and ported back to Tower.

Gabriel was sitting in a chair when he arrived, staring at his hands. He blinked, looking up within a few seconds and realizing Sam was there.

Sam felt a prod in his chest. Gabriel was trying to reopen their link. Sam pushed it back, shaking his head. "Later, Gabe," he responded aloud.

"Sam, I--"

" _Don't_. We're going grocery shopping, and then we're going back to the compound. I'll go see Nariel, and you can talk to Cas. And then, once you've got whatever's going on figured out, _then_ you can talk to me about it. Don't get me wrong, I want to know, but you're not even sure about what there is to know, I can tell that much. So figure it out on your end, and then we'll talk, alright? In the meantime...I don't want the link open," Sam said firmly.

Gabriel frowned and looked away. After a moment, he nodded and slowly stood. He didn't wait on Sam before flying up through the skylight. Sam watched him go, sighing quietly. He really didn't want Gabriel feeling the roiling, confused, hurt emotions from him. Keeping in mind that he was doing this to make things easier on Gabe, he followed the **_Sentinel_ **up into the sky, then turned and led him toward Sam's favorite grocery store.

They arrived in minutes, and as they landed, there were immediately eyes on them. Sam glanced over at Gabriel as the golden angel's wings fluffed in faint agitation from being the center of attention. "It's alright, just stick close," Sam spoke lowly, leading the way forward.

Gabriel kept so close that Sam could feel the heat of his body against his wings. He smiled a bit at that, liking the closeness. ...He wanted more, though, and it took all he had for a few moments, to keep from reopening their connection. In that time, he grabbed a cart, gesturing for Gabriel to do the same, and led the way into the produce section first.

As he began to relax, he looked over to see Gabriel's eyes darting about in silent wonder, his wings giving aborted twitches of curiosity as he considered various things; the fruit, the vegetables, the bags of salad mix, the mother with her two children that was gaping at them (his feathers had fluffed a bit at that, too), the cooler holding bottles of vegan smoothie drinks, the watermelon display that had his eyes lighting up in recognition and hunger.

Sam chuckled at that, drawing Gabriel's gaze to him. Sam gestured toward the display with a nod of his head, then lead the way over. "Watermelons," he spoke as Gabriel pulled his cart up behind Sam's. "Most people think the way to find a good, sweet one, is to thump it. But that's not the case at all, really. You look on the underside, where the yellow patch is. The paler the yellow of it, the better, riper, it is," he explained.

Sam felt the prod at his chest again, and his smile slipped into something pained as he shut his eyes for a moment. He then looked over at Gabriel with a stern frown. Gabriel met his frown with a petulant pout, and Sam huffed a sigh, deciding to just ignore it and focus on picking out a few watermelons for the angels. With four large ones lined up in the bottom of his cart, and Gabriel following along bearing a sullen expression, Sam headed to gather up various fruits. As he did, he told Gabriel about each one, and got enough to easily last all the angels, and his brother, a week.

By the time they were out of produce, Sam was thinking they should've brought someone else along to push a third cart.

Gabriel, so far, hadn't spoken, except a vague protest when Sam had been gathering up tomatoes. When Sam had shot him a humored dry look, the prod at his chest had been almost sharp.

Nevertheless, he led Gabriel on to the meat section, and started to fill the bottom of his cart with plenty of each. He paused at the meat counter, eyeing the shrimp, even as the attendant eyed him with wide-eyed curiosity. He ignored it, instead glancing at Gabriel from the corner of his eyes. Gabriel was staring at the offerings with open curiosity. And in that moment, Sam decided on a special meal for just the two of them. "...Three pounds of the jumbo shrimp, please?" he spoke, focusing on the attendant.

The poor man startled at that, then quickly moved to comply. When he handed over the package, he opened his mouth, shut it, then opened it again as Sam took the shrimp from his hand. "Are you...like, a literal angel?" he asked.

Sam gave a short laugh and shrugged. "That is my species name, yes, but I'm not a messenger of God. We're from another planet," Sam spoke, looking over at Gabriel. Confusion was on his features, but as Sam continued, he nodded in agreement to his words. "Very far from here," he finished.

"Alien angels. Yeah, okay, I've officially heard everything," the attendant responded, and Sam shot him a grin, chuckling.

"Have a good day, man," Sam spoke in parting, putting the shrimp in the top part of Gabriel's basket and leading him on.

An hour later, and the baskets were overflowing. Despite their hesitance to approach them, the store had provided an employee to follow them with a third basket, and that was almost overflowing, too. They checked out, Sam waving off any attempts to bag the items, and Sam pulled out his wallet that he'd grabbed at Tower earlier, deftly withdrawing his card from it and paying. As ever (thanks to Moon Queen), the transaction went through. Once it was all done, Sam turned to the employee that'd been helping them through the store. "Thank you," he said to the teen, pulling a spare bit of cash he had out and passing it over. "And let your manager know we'll bring the carts back when they're unloaded, please?" he asked politely.

The teen blinked as he took the cash, glancing up at Sam in stunned awe. "Uh...uh, yeah, thanks," he murmured.

Sam looked over at Gabriel. "Grab onto that cart with one hand, and my shoulder with the other," he supplied, placing one of each of his hands on the other two carts. Feeling Gabriel's hand on him, Sam closed his eyes and focused. He'd not teleported this much before, so he made his primary focus in this be Gabriel, to ensure he'd remain unhurt.

A tug at his energy, and a wrench in his gut later, and Gabriel was stumbling to the side a bit, away from him. Sam's eyes shot open and he spun, reaching out and looking over the other angel quickly, trying to assure himself of Gabriel's well being. He almost, _almost_ flung their bond back open, but he managed to cut short of doing that.

"...That was new. And disorienting," Gabriel spoke, sinking heavily into a nearby chair and slipping out of Sam's hands in the process.

Sam stilled for a moment, unsure of what to feel, then backed up a step, glancing at the carts. Everything seemed to have made it intact. With a nod to himself, he decided to focus on getting things put away, starting with the frozen and refrigerated items.

He was almost done with those, when Glips walked in, starting to poke around the carts curiously. " ** _What's all this?_** " she questioned, glancing first at Sam, then at Gabriel.

Gabriel grinned, practically preening. " ** _S...uh, Chrys and I went shopping! It was awesome, Glips! There were so many things_** ," he began, and started launching into describing everything he'd seen and heard. Things that Sam hadn't even noticed, or thought to think that Gabe would notice. He smiled fondly as he listened to him prattle on.

As Gabriel and Glips talked, Dean made an appearance. "Damn, Sammy...buy the store out?" he asked, moving to start tucking away pantry items.

"Pretty much. Think I made their profit margin for the year," Sam quipped back with a low chuckle. "Oh, hey...the shrimp, don't touch it, alright? I uh...want to make scampi for me and Gabe, Tuesday," he supplied.

Dean blinked, looking at him, then glancing over at where Gabriel and Glips were conversing. His eyes slowly came back to Sam, a touch of concern creasing his brow. "...You two alright?" he asked quietly.

"...I don't know. But I'm not giving up because of one little bump in the road, Dean. ...I'm...I'm in love with him," Sam said, looking down at the almost empty carts, picking up a few more items. "Whatever's going on, he will talk to me about it when he's ready, and I'm not going to let it break us apart."

When he met Dean's gaze again, a couple of minutes later, his brother was smiling warmly at him. "...I'm happy for you, Sammy," he spoke gently.

Sam decided to follow Dean's no chick-flick moments rule and shrugged. "If that's the case, no complaining next time you hear us fucking," he shot back.

"Uhg, you're such a bitch!"

Sam chuckled, looking over at him. "Love you, too, jerk."


	36. Chapter 36

When Sam and Dean finished putting everything away, Sam vanished with the carts. Gabriel took that moment to slip outside, where he could faintly see Cassie's wings amidst the field of flowers. He walked over, glancing around. The flowers were doing well. Thriving, if he had to think about it.

Cassie looked up as Gabriel drew close, sitting in a small patch that was merely grass. He looked Gabriel's face over, peering closely as he often did, like he could read secrets there.

It seemed he did, this time.

" ** _He's a Guardian, isn't he?_** " his deep voice rumbled, as he turned to look back over the field.

Gabriel frowned, stumbling half a step and wondering how his brother had figured that out. "... ** _I...It, it fits. Cassie, we ran into a problem today. One of those damned villains. And Sam...he went all righteous fury on me, actually wanted to kill the guy, and you know he and Dean aren't like that! ...And then_**..." he started, frowning at a distant tree and hesitant to speak further.

Cassie said nothing, waited patiently. Two minutes slipped into five, and Gabriel's wings hunched and curled over his shoulders. " ** _He tried to manifest a blade, Cassie. ...But it wasn't a blade_** ," he said.

From the corner of his eye, he saw his little brother jerk slightly and turn his head to look up at him. " ** _Was it_**...?"

" ** _Yeah. A sword. A freaking flaming sword, Cassie, just like the old stories. How in the hells did a human, that became an angel, wind up being a freaking Guardian, with a damnedable flaming sword??_**"

Cassie was still, and Gabriel finally looked down at him. His expression was ponderous, and he was considering things that Gabriel was pretty sure he himself had no clue on. Cassie had always listened to those stories more than he had, had been more invested than himself. Finally, Cassie nodded; a short, bobbing motion. " ** _I suspected this morning, when Sam spoke of the power that builds between you two. When he said it could cause destruction or life. There's much to consider here, brother...and we unfortunately don't have all the resources we need. Jivi is a history-keeper, but I'm uncertain if he'll be able to provide any amount of information. All we can do is ask...if you're willing to disclose Sam's possible status to the others, anyway_**."

Gabriel looked back out at the trees, frowning. "... ** _I don't know. Sam needs to know all of this, and he's going to want to know as much as possible, but I'm not sure he's going to want everyone to know about it_**."

" ** _Brother_**..." Cassie began then, voice filled with hesitance. Gabriel looked back down at him immediately, but Cassie was staring at a flower to his right. "... ** _The stories, the legends...they speak of impossible feats. Things that even the Guardians themselves don't think to consider a possibility_**." Cassie paused, licking his lips and slowly meeting his older brother's gaze. " ** _I know you have lain with him, Gabriel_**." A flicker of humor as he added, " ** _Dean was quite scarred by the things he heard_**." And then his expression was solemn once again. "... ** _Did you allow him inside you, brother?_** " he asked sincerely.

Gabriel blinked once. Then twice. Cassie was asking this extremely personal question-even for him-for a reason, but Gabriel wasn't able to pick up on why. " ** _Yes...?_** " he answered slowly.

Cassie looked down at his lap, giving another short nod. Gabriel waited, and it took barely more than a moment before he spoke up again. " ** _Perhaps you should have Nariel look you over. Or maybe even Sam himself_** ," he suggested quietly.

It took another two minutes of trying to figure out what his little brother was getting at before realization flooded him, his wings snapping up high in startled surprise. " ** _That...no. No, Cassie, that can't_** \--"

" ** _As I said, brother; impossible feats_**."

Gabriel shook his head, feeling his chest heave as panic settled in. " ** _Cassie_** ," he spoke, his vision blanking in front of him, his voice coming out a whimper. He was aware of hands on his arms, but he barely even felt that under the complete panic filling him. " ** _I can't...no, not again_** ," he whined, sinking forward. His brother easily embraced him, rubbing at his spine and gently murmuring soothing sounds that Gabriel couldn't really interpret in that moment.

He wasn't sure how long it took for the panic to subside, but when it did, he knew that Cassie was right. He slowly pulled away from his brother, scrubbing a hand at his face. " ** _Sorry, baby bro...and thanks_** ," he spoke, feeling a good bit tired in the wake of his emotions.

" ** _There is no need to apologize, Gabriel. I know how hard it was on you when you lost your child. I was there. ...But I don't think that'll happen again, not this time. ...I don't think Sam would let it happen_** ," Cassie spoke, his tone firm in the face of his belief.

Gabriel looked down at the grass, then over at the compound. " ** _Yeah, I don't think he would. ...If there is one. Guess I oughta go find out, huh?_** " Gabriel spoke, looking back at Cassie and attempting to shoot him an easy smile. It obviously fell short by the concern that flashed over Cassie's features, but his brother thankfully didn't comment on it.

" ** _You should_** ," he responded instead, reaching out and squeezing Gabriel's forearm gently. " ** _Let me know if Sam wants to discuss this with myself. Or with Jivi, for that matter. I'll be happy to supply what information I can_** ," he said.

Gabriel flashed Cassie another smile, this one feeling more real, then moved to head inside.

As he entered, Cassie following him inside, Gabriel spotted the person he'd been about to seek out, mixing food at the island counter with Dean, bickering at his human brother as said brother pilfered a grape. Dean grinned, chuckling, and Sam rolled his eyes.

Gabriel reached for their link again, pulling at it insistently.

Sam stilled, wings flaring up in mild surprise, and his eyes automatically found Gabriel.

For just a moment, it seemed like Sam was going to ignore him again, refuse the connection between them (and how he had more control over this thing they had, Gabriel wasn't sure, and wasn't sure that he liked it), but then it opened.

Not a thin connection, not a thread, not a small path. Sam flung it open as wide as it'd ever been, and Gabriel nearly groaned aloud in relief as he felt Sam once more.

Worry, fear, concern, hesitance, and love--so much love!--flooded Gabriel swiftly. It was bordering on overwhelming, but Gabriel was getting used to this now, and found himself floating above it just enough to keep his senses.

He closed his eyes, taking a moment send things back. Reassurance, apology, and as much of his own love for Sam as he could manage.

"Sam?" Dean's voice came.

Gabriel opened his eyes to see the human looking between Sam and Gabriel with a faint concerned frown. Sam's eyes were closed for a moment longer before shook his head. "'s nothing, Dean. Just uh...we...I, I closed off our link earlier, and it's...I opened it back up, is all," he said, turning back to the food he was working on. "Get the bread out already, will ya?" he spoke.

Dean looked confused for a moment, clearly curious about the connection his brother had with the other angel, but he ultimately just let out a snort. "Yeah, yeah, hurry up with the chicken salad already," he huffed, heading to the pantry closet.

Gabriel moved closer to Sam, until he was right at his boyfriend's elbow. Sam cast a curious glance at him before looking back at where he was finishing up mixing this 'chicken salad' Dean had mentioned. "...We need to talk. Obviously," Gabriel supplied.

Sam's concern was almost overpowering, before it cut short and he chuckled. "That's not a good phrase, in the human language. It usually means that a couple is about to split up," he spoke, but his tone was carefully light, and Gabriel frowned at it.

Instead of responding verbally, he pushed his love for Sam forth again, and the other angel actually staggered as it slammed into him. Gabriel was quick to grab his elbow as Sam let out a soft swear. "Okay, okay, I get it, that's not what you're saying," the taller angel spoke with a laugh, amusement dancing between them.

Gabriel smirked, allowing his own mirth forth. "Damn skippy, I believe is the phrase?"

Sam grinned, bright and beautiful, and nodded. "Yeah. Good job," he praised.

Gabriel preened like a fucking fledgling, before glancing away embarrassedly. Amusement surged from Sam again, and Gabriel huffed. "Look, are you done here for now?" Gabriel hedged, trying to draw away from his embarrassment. "Can Dean-o finish up? Because...there's a good bit to cover," he spoke.

Sam blinked. "...Whatever it is, it can wait a few moments longer," he began softly, emitting soothing emotions toward Gabriel. "I'll put together sandwiches, and we can go outside to talk, like last night, yeah?"

Gabriel relaxed, marginally, and nodded. He then looked back at the large bowl filled with white stuff, chicken chunks, grapes, nuts, a couple of different types of green things, and frowned in curiosity. "...What all is that?"

"Good, is what it is. I make the best burgers, but Sammy makes the best chicken salad," Dean's voice interrupted. Sometime as they'd been speaking, Cassie had moved over, and was now holding one loaf of bread, with Dean holding another two, as they stood across the kitchen counter.

A pleased emotion came from Sam as he grinned up at Dean, taking one of the loaves. "Yeah, well...the bread helps with that," he spoke, pushing off the praise with a good helping of humbleness. "It's got seeds and nuts in it, this one. One of my favorites," he said, showing it to Gabriel. Oatnut. Gabriel tilted his head as he read it, then looked up as Sam started to open the bag. Within minutes, there was a platter filled with chicken salad sandwiches. Sam pushed it toward Dean. "You guys call up the others, and go ahead and eat. Gabriel and I are going to head out to the patio for lunch," Sam supplied.

Dean raised an eyebrow, then shrugged as he picked up the platter, Cassie heading off to gather the others.

Gabriel watched as Sam made two more sandwiches for each of them, loading them onto one plate. At that, Gabriel moved, grabbing a couple bottles of water from the fridge, following his lover outside.

Sam led the way to the same table from the evening before and sat down, setting the plate on the table. Gabriel stood at his side for a moment, then set the bottles down and pulled and pushed at Sam's chair. Sam blinked, surprise filtering through, as Gabriel got it to where he could drop into Sam's lap. And that's what he did, straddling the taller man's thighs.

Sam's hands moved to his hips in an instant and he stared at Gabriel in an open, curious wonder that spilled over their link.

In lieu of speaking, Gabriel reached over and pulled the plate closer, giving an insistent push to their link. Sam responded easily, grabbing a sandwich and taking a bite.

Gabriel waited for him to chew and swallow that first bite before he began. "You're not a **_Nester_**. ...You're a **_Guardian_** ," he began. Sam stilled, eyes wide, shock, confusion, and question surging over their link. All at once, it was smothered down by a patience that urged Gabriel on. "...There hasn't been a **_Guardian_ **in my lifetime. Not in my parent's lifetime, or theirs' before them. ...I think it's possible there hasn't been one in a couple thousand years, if there...well, obviously there has been some, or I wouldn't know what you are," he said, eyes moving over Sam's shoulder to frown at the wall. He allowed a few seconds before shaking his head. "Eat, Sammy," he urged. As Sam did as bid, still with that questioning patience, Gabriel continued.

"All I have is stories, and I never really paid them much attention, to be honest. Cassie knows more of them than I do, and Jivi is a history-keeper. He may have some answers as well...if you want to tell him this. If you want the others to know," Gabriel spoke, finally meeting Sam's eyes again.

Sam swallowed what was in his mouth. "Gabe..." he started, then he frowned, emotions flickering in a blur that Gabriel couldn't read. Finally, determination set his jaw. "Tell me what you can, for now. Tomorrow, we'll talk to Cas and Jivi, and see what gaps they can fill," he spoke, tone gentle and almost easy.

Gabriel nodded, but took a second to lean forward and place a chaste kiss on Sam's lips. He blinked, licking his own and then eyeing the sandwiches in open want. What he'd picked up off Sam's lips was flat-out _yummy_.

Sam chuckled and nodded. "Eat. I won't fuss about you talking around your food. This time," he said with a small grin.

Gabriel quickly scooped up a sandwich, taking a bite. His wings twitched in pleasure, and he allowed a small groan. And smirked at the subsequent heat that lanced through him from Sam.

"...Talk, Gabriel," Sam huffed, eating his own sandwich.

"Okay, so the stories go that back before our world became united and there was peace amongst us, **_Guardians_ **would rise to defend those that could not defend themselves. They had strange power, and an unequaled command of their grace. They could do amazing things...and terrible things, too. There's one story about a **_Guardian_ **going completely mad when he lost his family, and leveling an entire city in a near instant, before other **_Guardians_ **took him down." Here, concern pulsed strong from Sam, a fear of himself drifting between them. Gabriel quickly pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips, trying to flood him with assurance, but it barely calmed him. Frowning, he took another bite of his almost-gone sandwich, and continued. "There's also tales, a lot of them, or **_Guardians_ **restoring life that all others had given up on, that the strongest and most talented of grace-healers could not help," and that had Sam calming considerably.

Gabriel halted after that, and Sam frowned when he picked up his hesitance. So Gabriel shook his head, going down a different path. He'd get to this last bit soon. He popped the last of his first sandwich into his mouth, eyeing the second one as he continued. " ** _Guardians_ **could have six wings, or two, but it was considered rare for a **_Guardian_ **to have two. The biggest identifier of a **_Guardian_ **was that they did not manifest blades, but swords. Large, broad swords, that would ignite in other-worldly flame with barely a thought from its wielder."

"...So that's why you reacted like you did. But, Gabe..." Sam began, upset flooding over him. "You...you flinched. I--"

"I don't know why I did that, Sammy. I knew it was still you. But...but you weren't quite acting like yourself. You...you've never attempted to kill someone before, and I could _feel_ that you were going to do that to that villain. ...It threw me off, and I...I just wasn't sure of..."

"Wait...is what I felt not normal for an angel, then? I thought maybe it was, that that was why I was reacting like that. I...I felt this urge to protect...protect not just you, not just the other angels, but all the humans he could wind up hurting, too," Sam explained.

"Yeah...I felt that. And sometimes, yes. Sometimes it feels like that, but...not nearly as strong as what I felt from you. ...When you reached out to me, there was still an echo of it, and.... You'd put away your sword, but I...I just had this sudden doubt that you were seeing me, that you weren't seeing a threat, and I...well, I flinched," Gabriel provided.

Sam blew out a slow breath, taking the time to finish off the last of his first sandwich. As he did, Gabriel reached and grabbed his second one, taking a healthy bite. He nearly groaned again. His mate could make some damned good food!

He stilled immediately, eyes wide as he stared at the plate beside them. _Mate_?? Where did that come from! He'd barely been together with Sam, been in a relationship with him, for even a full day yet, and he was calling him _mate_??

"Gabe?" Sam's voice came, worry and concern echoing between them and through his voice.

Gabriel quickly pushed it away, as hard as he could, shaking his head. "'S nothing. Nothing relevant. Anyway! Uh, so, **_Guardians_** , they uh--" he began, trying to distract Sam from the shock of his thoughts. Sam frowned, disapproval echoing over the bond, but he didn't push, thankfully. "--they were basically the most powerful, fiercest warriors our planet knew. Capable of uh...great feats," he said, and he felt himself nearing the subject he'd avoided just moments ago. "...Sam, I need you to pull forth your energy...like you do when you heal," he finished quietly, setting down his sandwich and meeting Sam's eyes.

Confusion took over their link, but Sam nodded slowly, bringing his hands up over Gabriel's chest. They began to glow within seconds, and Sam frowned, slowly starting to shake his head. "Nothing feels off, I don't--"

Gabriel blinked, then shook his head. He needed to be certain here. "Lower," he ordered calmly. Sam raised an eyebrow, then lowered his hands a bit, Gabriel shifting back as far as he dared to make sure Sam had room.

It barely took a second before surprise and shock flooded the link. Sam looked up to meet his eyes, but Gabriel quickly looked away.

He was carrying Sam's child. And he wasn't sure how to feel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¡Sorpresa!  
> Do you love me? Do you hate me? Tell me the truth~!


	37. Chapter 37

Gabriel wasn't looking at him, wouldn't look at him. Sam's hands were stilled, glowing inches away from a flicker of life that easily rivaled the one growing in Cas, and Gabriel _wouldn't look at him_.

If not for their bond, their connection, Sam would've thought Gabriel was upset with him, that he didn't want this.

As it was, the bond was there. But there were no emotions from Gabriel about the life inside of him. No, the emotions they were both suffocating under were loss, grief, and despondency.

He didn't know what Gabriel's thoughts were about this, couldn't guess at the moment. Much as he wanted to continue to feel the spark just _there_ under his hands, he withdrew his energy and moved his hands to Gabriel's outer thighs, holding him in place. As he pushed forth his own sorrow, as well as his love, Gabriel finally met his eyes. A flicker of confusion crossed between them, a line creasing the space between Gabriel's eyebrows, before it smoothed away.

"Cassie told you? ...About--"

"Yes. He did. And I _hurt_ for you, Gabe," Sam said quietly. For a brief second, there was refusal crossing between them, but then Gabriel realized that he could feel Sam's sorrow and pain for Gabriel's loss, and it faded away.

"I don't know...I can't...Sammy, I--" he began, then cut off, his eyes shutting tight.

As a wave of pain, so potent it was almost fresh, rolled over them, Sam gripped onto Gabe's thighs tight, trying to ground his love physically against it. "I'm here, Gabe. Whatever you want to feel, whatever you want to say, or whatever you want to push away, I'm here," he assured softly.

Gabriel's brow furrowed, and it was the only warning Sam got before he was somewhere entirely foreign.

_Gabriel was over halfway through his pregnancy, at seven months, but he was worried. The little fledgling growing in him hadn't moved in almost three days. Sure that he was overreacting, Gabe stared up at the clinic._

The memory cut off at that, and Sam barely registered his lover dropping forward against him. Just from that, Sam was filled with dread and horror. He turned his head, nuzzling gently into the side of Gabriel's hair, breath puffing shakily over his ear.

"...That's not gonna happen, Gabe. I won't let that happen to you again," he spoke, voice wavering with the strain of emotion, but full of the conviction he pressed between them. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he leaned down and nipped harshly at Gabe's neck. "I won't let you be hurt like that again," he spoke, voice more solid and firm.

Gabriel seemed to relax, following Sam's words and actions. He sank further against Sam, and the grief started to ebb away slowly. In response, Sam started to press loving kisses over Gabriel's neck and shoulders; first down and across, then back in and up, making his way to Gabriel's jaw, then cheek, and finally moving back enough to press a lingering kiss to his forehead.

" ** _Father and Mother_**...Sam, I love you," Gabriel breathed, leaning into that last, pressing kiss.

Sam smiled warmly, and pressed forth his own love through their link, instead of speaking.

They sat like that, for quite some time, before Sam blinked at an odd surge of warmth coming from Gabriel. He stayed still, mentally poking at it curiously. It brought a huff of a laugh out of Gabriel, and Sam couldn't help a grin at the sound, letting a happy emotion flow forth in response.

Slowly, Gabriel leaned back, allowing a bit of space between them. His hands were on his own stomach now, and he was looking down at it, an uncertain, tentative fondness in both the link and on his face.

"I think it's gonna be strong," Sam spoke up as he watched Gabriel carefully. When that strange warmth grew, Sam smiled softly. "Cas was almost three, maybe four weeks, when I felt his. Ours is already as strong as that, and...well, it's impressive, considering we conceived only last night," he supplied gently.

There was just a flicker of pain, mixed with curiosity, but then it was shoved away, and Gabriel looked up at Sam, a new wonder and curiosity filling him. "...I wonder if it's because you're a **_Guardian_** , or...or if it has to do with our connection? Or if it could even be that we're different originating species," he spoke.

Sam grinned brightly, allowing delight to dance between them, and surging another wave of love with it. "You are so damned amazing," he spoke, instead of speculating with Gabriel.

"Me? Pft, kiddo, please, you're--"

"Fuck all of what you're about to say. I mean it. I don't care that I'm some stupid being that's practically mythological for your species, Gabe. I mean...I love you. I love the way you think, how brilliant you are, how curious you are about any given thing," Sam started, leaning forward and nipping softly at Gabriel's lips. Heat curled forth from both of them at the action, and Sam smirked, as if in triumph. "You're witty, and funny, too. And you're such a force of good.... And don't get me started on how amazingly sexy you are. You give it better than I do...fuck, thinking about the shower this morning..." he continued, but he trailed off as his own arousal spiked sharply. "...I meant what I thought. No one has ever been able to do things like that to me, with me. You kept calling me perfect, but babe, you need to look in the mirror," Sam whispered.

Wonder and strong, sharp arousal was spilling from Gabe in waves.

And then it all reared back, replaced by hesitancy.

Sam frowned, tilting his head as he watched Gabriel.

"...I really wanted to come in you, Sam," Gabriel suddenly confessed. Sam felt an approving wave of arousal spill from himself, and Gabriel's eyes slid shut as it hit him. "I almost did," he continued, breathing out a slow breath.

Sam blinked, watching him. "...Why didn't you?"

Gabriel blinked his eyes open and met Sam's gaze. "...Kiddo, you can get pregnant outside of your cycle, ya know. It's just the peak of fertility, but you can still--"

Sam cut him off, pulling forth memory after memory. Recalling every time he'd seen Gabriel interact with a child, and every time he'd found himself desiring, wishing for Gabriel to have a family, even if he couldn't (at the time) provide it. When he let the memories recede, Gabriel took a moment to draw himself out of them, then frowned again, shaking his head. "But I'm the one carrying a child right now," he began.

Sam surged forward and kissed Gabriel hard, cutting off his protests. When they were both desperate for air, Sam finally broke it, resting their foreheads together. "...I'm happy about that. I am. So happy that you're carrying our child, that there's a life in you that's made from both of us, and how much we love each other."

Gabriel stared into his eyes from directly in front of him.

"...But?"

"...It's reckless and stupid, I know it is...but I want more, for both of us."

Gabriel leaned back, only staying on Sam's lap because of the taller angel's grip on his thighs.

"You cannot be saying what I think you're saying. Sam--"

"I know. I know, that...if you want another one, we should at least wait until this one is born, but honestly? Since I found out I could give you children, I've been going out of my mind with the need to do it. And...and we're safe. Even if a villain were to show up, or hell, even a dozen, we've got Dean, Sefir, Nariel, Mefusa...everyone to stand between us and them. Gabe, I want this. I know it's stupid, but I want this," he pleaded. And with that, he allowed the very last emotions that he'd been keeping from their connection to break free and surge into Gabriel.

Gabriel's eyes widened as he gasped under the strength of it, his wings giving a few aborted flaps, feathers rucked high enough to almost stand straight out. At the movement, Sam quickly slid one hand from from Gabriel's thigh and into the small of his back, carefully bracing him so he didn't wind up spilling onto the ground.

Gabriel resisted it, and Sam carefully locked down the hurt of that and reeled himself back in, shaking his head. "Forget it," he murmured. "Maybe in a year or two?" he spoke, allowing a small sliver of hope to creep forward.

Gabriel was quiet, staring at Sam's chest. He stared long enough for Sam's hurt to almost surge forward again, but he held it back. "Nevermind," Sam spoke. "Finish your lunch, Gabe. I need to go see Nariel," he spoke.

Gabriel wordlessly slid from his lap, letting Sam up. The connection was quiet between them, and Sam frowned, wondering if Gabriel had figured out holding back his own emotions...or if was just avoiding feeling anything at all.

Standing, Sam watched him for the barest second, then leaned down and pressed another kiss to Gabriel's forehead, before slipping away from him, and heading inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter. ...Hehehehe.  
> I'll /try/ to put up one more tonight.  
> anna? anna, I know you hate me again, but I still love you, mkay?


	38. Chapter 38

Gabriel waited a good few minutes for Sam to be inside and away from the main areas of the compound. Then, slowly, he thinned the connection between them. Sam felt it...he knew Sam felt it. But Sam didn't try to push at it, and Gabriel thought, yet again, that the former human was simply too perfect for him.

He could've (and probably should've) closed off the connection, but honestly, he'd found that it was uncomfortable to be without it now. ...More, it actually ached in a way when it was closed off. So, he decided not to do that to Sam, or himself. Thinning it helped him in keeping emotion from spilling over it...and at the moment, he wanted time to think and consider things.

With Cassie's help.

He picked up the plate with the almost two full sandwiches left on it, as well as the untouched water bottles, and headed in.

Cassie, bless him, was waiting by the island counter. However, he was frowning. "Sam appeared upset when he came back in, brother," he began. Dean, cleaning up the leftover mess in the kitchen, looked up, a hint of a scowl on his lips. He looked ready to threaten Gabriel, and Gabriel's wings automatically began to move into an aggressive position. "Brother," Cassie interrupted, stepping in the way. The effect was instant; Gabriel's wings slumped back down into their neutral position. He wouldn't be aggressive against Cassie, especially not when he was pregnant and Gabriel's instincts demanded he protect him instead of causing him stress in any way.

"...You were right, Cassie," Gabriel spoke. Cassie's wings fluffed the slightest bit, expressing a faint trace of joy, but he was frowning confusedly. "I...I don't understand, are you not happy? Is...is Sam unhappy?" he asked.

Gabriel considered. Sam hadn't actually given him much in the way of what he actually felt about Gabriel being pregnant, but he had said he was happy. "...I'm acclimating. I guess I am happy? And Sam said he is," he hedged.

Cassie frowned more deeply. "Neither of you appear to be so," he spoke.

Gabriel's eyes shot past his brother, to the human listening to them with a faint confused frown. He looked back at Cassie. ".. ** _.He wants to bear a child as well, Cassie. He let me feel just...just how badly he wants to carry my child, our child. ...Little brother, if your eyes open any wider, they're going fall clear out of your head_** ," he spoke, allowing just a trace of humor in his tone.

Cassie blinked his impossibly wide eyes once, twice, and then he managed to relax with a strained noise out of his throat. " ** _Is...is it not enough that you are with child? Why would he want_** \--"

" ** _I believe him, when he says he's happy I'm carrying our fledgling. He didn't exactly push that emotion across our connection, but there was plenty of love there when he said that, that I believe him. ...He_**..." Gabriel began, frowning for a moment. " ** _He's found a way to push memories and thoughts across, and he showed me all the times he's thought of me having a family, before he even was able to bear children. He wants that for me, so strongly...Cassie, it's overwhelming. And that he could give me children now? It's not that he doesn't want this one I'm carrying...it's that he wants to give me more. ...He wants to give me everything, baby brother. I felt it, and...it's...it feels like too much. I_** \--"

" ** _Gabriel_** ," Cassie interrupted, and it was enough to prompt Gabriel into taking a deep breath and settling the emotions that were threatening to spill over the link with Sam.

" ** _I'm alright. I am. I'm just...I'm surprised, I guess. He's told me he loves me, he's let me feel it, but feeling what he wants with me, how he wants to just...give me the entire universe on a guunsching freaking platter, I almost feel like I don't love him enough or something. Which is impossible, because if I love him any more than I do, I'm certain I'll lose myself_** ," he spoke, his eyes drifting down to Cassie's shoulder as he allowed his gaze to become unfocused as he worked to settle his emotions more.

"Alright, that's it, time to clue the human in," Dean's voice came, from barely a foot away from Cassie. Both of the brothers startled, gazes shooting to Dean's unrepentant stare. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for one of them to speak.

"...You brother wishes to bear children," Cassie spoke up.

Dean's eyebrows both shot up into his hairline. "...Okay, pushing aside that I still think...uhm, nevermind, anyway...what's the issue there, then? Just too soon?" he spoke, looking to Gabriel.

Cassie's eyes were narrowed in Dean's direction, apparently having picked up on Dean's unfinished statement. Gabriel was willing to bet they'd have words later. Gabriel looked back at Dean and gave a shrug. "Hardly. I mean, I'm pregnant, so I think it'd been stupid to claim it's too soon," he dropped.

Speaking of dropping, that's exactly what Dean's jaw did. "Wha...wait! I thought you said you--"

"I couldn't," Gabriel cut off sharply. He didn't want to rehash this right now. He could already feel the old pain trying to surge back up, and if it went any further, Sam would know. He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes and feeling his wings starting to curl inward. He did his best to pull himself from the emotions, to separate them away, to look at it clinically. "I couldn't," he said again. "I'm something of a rarity on our planet, Dean-o. One of the few six winged angels, called **_Sentinels_** , that can bear children. But the pregnancies are always high risk, and usually result in miscarriage and an inability to carry children again. As I lost my last one, my only one, I thought it'd never happen again."

"Fuck, Sammy healed you," Dean spoke in comprehension.

Gabriel opened his eyes and gave a short nod. "...There's no telling if he did it the first time he healed me, or if it happened after he became what he is now. But yes. He healed me, to the point everything's back in working order, and I've got a...a bun in the oven?" It seemed he got that phrase right, because Dean didn't look confused at it. Instead, his eyes moved down to Gabriel's stomach.

"...And Sammy's wanting to...to get preggers, too?" he spoke, eyes moving to Cassie's for the answer.

"It would seem so."

"...That's complicated as fuck," Dean muttered, eyes drifting back to Gabriel's stomach.

Gabriel allowed a short bark of a laugh. "Yeah, I know. Sam knows. ...But he thinks we'll be safe here, with everyone to help protect us," he answered.

Dean's eyes shot up to meet Gabriel's. "...You're gonna do it, aren't you?" he breathed in near-disbelief.

And hunh. He hadn't even been aware of making a decision on that, had wanted Cassie's input, but over speaking everything to their brothers, Gabriel found that...yes, he wanted to see Sam's belly swollen with new life. Slowly, he looked at Cassie. His little brother's eyes were wide once again. Slowly, Gabriel brought his eyes down to where his little brother's belly was just barely beginning to show.

"...Yes," he answered Dean finally.

Dean straightened, in his peripheral vision.

"...I'm not sure it's smart. You two literally got together yesterday, you've got a bean growing in you already, and you're about to put one in my brother. ...But I've seen you two dance around each other this whole time, and I know Sammy loves you. ...And I've seen that you love him. So, as stupid as I think this all is, especially with Cas being pregnant, too, and meaning there'll be three of you the rest of us have to watch out for...I'm backing your play. Because...because I want Sammy to be happy, and I honestly think you deserve to be happy, too," he said.

During his little speech, Gabriel found himself staring at the human in surprise and open wonder.

He apparently hadn't been watching the link very well, because there was a curious poke from Sam at that. Gabriel decided not to respond to it immediately.

"Thanks, Dean-o," he said quietly.

"Yeah. Just uh...try to make sure I'm not on the same floor whenever you two go at it, okay? I really don't need to know what my brother sounds like during sex."

Gabriel chuckled and nodded, but Cassie, the little minx, pretty much purred out, "I'm the only one you need to hear like that," in confirmation.

Dean's eyes shot to Cassie, something dark flashing over the emerald depths, and Gabriel let out a full laugh. "Alright, go get a room, I'll finish clean up," he offered.

Cassie moved and grabbed Dean, hauling him away without protest. And Dean followed along like a lost puppy.

An hour later, Sam finally appeared in the living area, stilling for a moment when he spotted Gabriel. Gabriel looked up in turn, watching him for a long moment before he started pulling the connection open wider, ever-so-slowly.

As he did, a line of tension in Sam's shoulders began to lift and fade. It was pleasing, satisfying to watch, to know that Sam wanted this thing between them as much as Gabriel did.

But Sam was hesitant as he reached through it, brushing a bright, warm strand of love against him.

That would not do.

Gabriel decided to say fuck it all, and flung the connection open wider, pouring love and reassurance into Sam.

Sam's wings gave a sharp twitch in response, before he moved over, sinking down against Gabriel's side on the sofa.

"Nariel said things like normal as far as he can tell. ...So I told him about the whole **_Guardian_ **thing, to see if he had any theories, if that could be affecting me. But he doesn't know," Sam spoke.

"Mm," Gabriel hummed, turning more toward Sam and leaning in, nipping, kissing, and sucking at his neck.

Heated desire spilled out of Sam for the briefest of seconds. Then there was a surge of something else, carefully caught and wrangled away before Gabriel could feel it, could understand it. He found himself growling, reaching up to catch his hand around the other side of Sam's neck and biting punishingly into the sensitive flesh in retaliation.

Sam whimpered and started trying to pull away entirely. "Sam," Gabriel growled out, but he didn't try to hold him. Thankfully, Sam ceased.

Shame spilled from him, and then hurt. "Sorry, sorry," he murmured as he allowed it out. "I'm sorry, I just...I'm sorry," he spoke quietly.

Gabriel frowned and shook his head. "No. Don't be? Sam...I just needed to think it over," he spoke.

Sam stilled, impossibly so, at his words, and Gabriel realized he was holding his breath, waiting to hear what Gabriel was going to say.

Chuckling softly, Gabriel kissed the offended area on Sam's neck. "You really kinda...thew me for a loop? Yeah, that. And you're right, it's stupid...but I want it, too. I want everything with you, Sam," he spoke quietly.

Want, and desire, and something close to desperation spilled out of Sam as he turned, kissing Gabriel hard, starting to push him down onto the sofa. A thrill went through Gabriel, because it was clear Sam didn't want to wait, and the risk of someone walking in was exceedingly high.

And he kinda wanted to make it clear to anyone who dared to look, that Sam was his. Claiming him in any way in front of others was a good way to make that obvious.

And so, when Sam started undoing the fastenings of his shirt, Gabriel gave not a hint of protest.

It took mere minutes for them to be gloriously naked, and Gabriel managed to maneuver Sam so that he was on all fours on the sofa. Sounds were already spilling from the taller angel's lips, as Gabriel quickly found the gland within his hot channel.

Sam was apparently trying not to be loud, because he did little more than let out a whimpering gasp. It was then that Gabriel realized he could feel a sense of thrill outta Sam, and he smirked. "Oh, you want someone to see us, don't you?" Gabriel taunted. There was a lance of shame, but Gabriel pushed at it. "No, no, Sammy. Don't be ashamed of that. I want everyone to see that you belong to me, and to know that there will be no hiding if they touch you."

Sam whimpered a bit more loudly at that...or maybe at the second finger Gabriel slipped in. Hard to tell, really. The golden angel worked his fingers, eager to enter his mate. Fuck, there was that word again. He shook his head at himself, focusing on said mate and deciding to deal with that later. He leaned over, pressing a kiss to the dip of Sam's back. "Gonna fill you up, Sammy. You want that, don't you? For me to fill you with my cock, with my seed?"

Approving arousal surged bright and hot into Gabriel, and he groaned, adding a third finger and drawing out a heavy moan from Sam.

"God, yes, Gabe. Wanna give you that, want a family with you. Please, please...now? _Please_ ," he begged.

"You say such pretty words," Gabriel praised, pulling his fingers free. Sam let out a whine, but was dipping down, giving Gabriel both a better view, and a better angle. He took just a moment to admire the sight, then grinned as he remembered just how Sam liked things.

A smack against his mate's ass startled a surprised yelp and a moan from Sam, but that was choked off into a near-scream as Gabriel thrusted in fully, starting to pound away into Sam's channel.

"Fuck, Gabe, yes, yes, yes! Oh, God, more, harder!" Sam pleaded.

Gabriel was aware of a movement nearby, but he ignored it, taking just a few seconds to shift and give himself better leverage, before starting anew, slamming into Sam as hard and fast as he could. Sam's cries filled the air, echoing moans and screams of blinding pleasure that echoed over their bond.

He couldn't tell if Sam was speaking or thinking the litany of, "Love you, love you, love you."

There was a choked off sound from nearby, but Gabriel ignored it. For a brief second, Sam almost paused everything, but Gabriel snarled, moving one hand from where it'd been gripping his hip, thrusting his fingers into Sam's feathers and drawing another pleasure scream out of him. With that, his channel seized around Gabriel's shaft in a blinding grip, and Gabriel's hips stuttered as his orgasm was pulled from him. He rode it out, starting to slow as his seed filled Sam so much, it started to spill out of him, dripping down onto the sofa cushions.

Gabriel grinned in smug satisfaction. The evidence of his claim on Sam would forever be right there, on the dark brown fabric of the sofa, for everyone to see.

Curiosity prodded at him, but Gabriel decided not to reveal the source of that possessive emotion, and instead gave a last aborted thrust into Sam's sensitive body with his softening cock. Sam let out a low, deep moan in response, his body trembling.

Gabriel blinked, allowing a tendril of concern forth, but reassurance met it. Slowly, he pulled from Sam's body, looking down at the mess they'd both made of the cushions. He tried not to let that smugness back forth, not wanting to distract Sam from his floating bliss. Instead, he pushed himself up and off the furniture and moved, gently pulling Sam up. "Come on...you deserve a nap," he spoke.

Sam smiled down at him, happy, loving, and with a satisfied tiredness settling over his features. "Yeah," he murmured in agreement. He then lead Gabriel down the hallway, not even stopping to pick up their clothes, as he brought them to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smexy smex. And lots of exhibitionism~...lolz


	39. Chapter 39

Gabriel whimpered above him, and Sam smiled, pleased with himself as he licked up into his lover's hot channel. It turned out that that natural lubrication was a special treat; he didn't know if it always tasted like this (and had no real want to find out), but from Gabriel, it was just a faint bit of sweet, with a floral tinge to it.

They had napped together for three hours, before Sam had woken. Their earlier go seemed to have been successful, but things were happening inside of Sam, and he wasn't getting quite a solid reading on himself just yet. He knew there was something there, a definite flicker, but it was almost muted. Not enough to alarm him, but enough that he wasn't quite sure about what was going on.

All the same, he'd been ecstatic, and he'd woken Gabriel up by surging love and arousal into him as he'd taken to kissing down his body. The golden angel had gasped awake in quick order, and within minutes, they were in the position Sam had promised him early on that morning; Gabriel's thighs ensconced his head, his slick heat above Sam, and Sam was eating him out like there was nothing better in the world.

He thrust his tongue in yet again, the tip of it just deep enough to graze the tip of his gland, and Gabriel ground down on his tongue, against his face. Sam moaned against him, moving his hands over the tops of Gabriel's thighs in encouragement.

A knock on the door had them both stilling. Annoyance and want surged out of Sam; disappointment and reluctance from Gabriel, before his lover was climbing off of Sam.

Sam huffed a sigh and sat up, turning and kissing Gabriel chastely, before getting up and getting some sweat pants on. He also took a moment to wipe his face off with his towel, then moved to the door, carefully positioning his wings to keep Gabriel out of sight.

He opened the door and blinked to see Cas there, holding a tray with two bowls of soup, as well as a couple of grilled cheeses a piece.

"Oh, is it...sorry, Cas, we would've--"

"I don't think coming out for dinner is wise at this time," Castiel interrupted. He looked faintly humored. "Dean, for one, has 'seen too much' of you. And Sefir is grumbling quite a bit as well, from your earlier...display," he supplied.

Sam's feathers fluffed as he went red. "Ah. Uhm. ...Are they the only ones that--"

"No. I think everyone but Jivi and Nariel saw," Cas spoke, looking impossibly humored now.

There was a pleased rumble over the connection with Gabriel, and Sam frowned out a pout.

"Yeah...uh...let them know that uhm--"

"We're totally not sorry!" Gabriel interrupted from behind him.

Sam sighed and shook his head. ...But if he was being honest, he was a little pleased that the others had seen that he and Gabriel belonged to one another. It was weird, to feel that way. He assumed it was some sort of instinct that was driving that.

"Thanks, Cas," Sam said instead, reaching for the tray.

"Of course, Sam. Did uhm..." he spoke, looking uncertain, but he looked down at Sam's tummy.

"Seems to have. I feel something," he started, feeling a strong wave of satisfaction pour from Gabriel at that. "But I think my body's still working on it, doesn't seem to have...settled just yet. I'm not...I've never actively felt out pregnancies before. I just know when there's something there, and at a certain point, I'm able to tell gender. So...I don't know, it might be a little bit before I get any sort of solid sense with it," he said candidly.

Cas nodded shortly, then tilted his head. "If that's the case, then how exactly do you heal? You've never--"

"Cassie, ask another time, we were a little busy before you interrupted," Gabriel spoke.

Cas' eyebrows shot up, and Sam rolled his eyes. "I don't think your little brother wanted, or needed, to know that. Bad enough we gave everyone a show earlier, Gabe," he shot back.

Cas just chuckled. "Try to eat before it gets too cold," he said in response, heading back off down the hallway.

Slowly, Sam shut the door, moving and setting the tray on the dresser, shooting Gabriel a dry look...but it slipped from his face as his eyes landed on his boyfriend.

Gabriel had three fingers up his ass and was giving Sam a hell of a view from his place on the bed. A primal want surged through him and Sam pulled the sweats back off in a swift motion, stalking quickly back to the bed. A strong, dark want met his own in their connection, and Sam leaned down once close enough, nipping the globe of Gabriel's left ass cheek.

A soft moan filled the room as Gabriel removed his fingers in open invitation, and Sam shuffled forward on the bed, pressing his cock head to the heated entrance and beginning to slowly sink in. Gabriel moaned out a long, "Yeeesss," into the air, head tilted back just a bit.

Sam bent over him, kissing between his shoulder blades, and pressing a hand ever-so-gently to his lower stomach. A surge of desire shot between them, and Sam allowed his energy forth. He felt Gabriel restraining himself from meeting him, and didn't push for him not to. No telling what that would do, with them indoors. Instead, he sought out the spark there, as he began to carefully roll his hips deeper into his lover.

It was still impossibly strong, and he didn't sense the slightest thing off. Satisfied and happy that one of the lives they carried was safe and doing well, he let his energy retreat, kissing over the base of Gabriel's left wing.

He wasn't sure of what it would take to cause harm to the life Gabriel carried, so he was gentle. Gabriel chuckled softly. "Can handle more, Sammy," he offered, but when Sam shook his head, brushing his forehead against the skin of Gabriel's back as he did so, he didn't push it.

Their bodies moved together slowly, deeply, and full of the love they were dancing together over their connection.

When Gabriel came, Sam was but seconds behind him. He managed to keep Gabriel from slumping into the mess below him, pulling from his body gently and helping him to lay down to the side. Getting up, he used his towel to clean the both of them up, then offered Gabriel a pair of his sweats. Gabriel took them and pulled the drawstring so they held onto his hips. Sam pulled on a pair as well, and they both finally dug into their meal.

Things were good.

Morning came, and Gabriel was awake before Sam, staring out the ground floor window when Sam finally roused.

"Gabe?" he asked sleepily as he sat up and saw him.

"Dean came by while you were out," he spoke.

The connection between them was blank, and his tone off.

Sam moved quickly, padding over to his lover. "What is it? What'd he say?"

"...Another ship arrived last night. Villains got there first," Gabriel spoke quietly.

Sam wrapped his arms around him, pulling him back against his chest. "Don't hold back, Gabe. You know not to," he spoke quietly.

Gabriel's pain and grief slammed into him with a fierce intensity. Sam opened himself to it, took it, and filtered just the barest slivers of his own sorrow to the golden angel.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered aloud.

Gabriel met his words with a wretched sob, turning and burying his face into Sam's chest. Sam held him, stroking his fingers through Gabriel's hair gently.

Coaxing him out for breakfast had been an ordeal. Even with the lives they were carrying, Gabriel almost decided to ignore the meal entirely. And now, sitting at the table and seeing the somber expressions everyone held, Sam thought he should've allowed Gabriel the peace of his room.

Sam wasn't sure what to say or do. There was nothing that could make this better.

When Dean got up to start clean up of the half-eaten plates of food, Sam followed him into the kitchen, speaking quietly.

"How many?" he asked.

"Queenie managed to get a satellite view of what happened. ...It wasn't pretty, Sam."

"How. Many?"

"Twelve."

"...Are they all dead?"

Dean hesitated and Sam's wings came up, feathers ruffling. Dean looked at his wings, then his eyes. "We have no way of tracking them, and...you're not in a condition to go out anymore, Sammy...are you?"

Sam scowled. "I can still harden my body against attack, Dean. How many did they kidnap?"

Dean sighed, looking down at the sink. "Three."

"Get me a com. As soon as Queenie has a lead, we're going," he snapped lowly.


	40. Chapter 40

When Sam left the kitchen, the angels had gone on their separate ways; even Cas, not waiting on Dean. It seemed they were all hurting in the shadow of what had happened to the new arrivals.

Sam reached to the link, but found it'd been thinned. He sent a short wave of love through it. Nothing came in response, but Sam didn't mind. Gabriel needed space, obviously, while he processed this.

Sighing, Sam headed down the hallway, gathering clothes from his room and heading to shower. The bathroom closest to his room was occupied, so he made his way to the one closer to the end of the hall, slipping in and shutting the door, flicking on the light in the same motion. This one didn't have his personal, preferred toiletries in it, but there were some there that anyone could use, so it'd work.

Setting his clothes to the side, he grabbed a clean towel from the closet, then started to strip down.

It was only once he was under a stream of hot water that he paused. Curious, he pulled his energy forward and hovered it over his stomach.

Shock radiated through him. Now he knew why things had seemed muddled earlier. His eyes went down to where his hand was pressed gently to his stomach, still glowing. There wasn't one spark there, but...but three. He let out a short, stunned laugh, then tilted his head. ...He was surprised, immensely so, but he found himself unendingly happy in the same swift swoop of emotion. But he was concerned, too.

Gabriel had barely been okay with them both carrying children at the same time. How would he react to Sam carrying triplets? Sam turned his focus to their connection. If Gabriel had picked up on anything Sam had been feeling over the past couple of minutes, he wasn't reacting to it.

Slowly, Sam shook his head, withdrawing his energy and grabbing the shampoo. He would have to be exceedingly careful, when he and Dean went out to try and rescue the kidnapped angels. Not that he wouldn't have been before, but to know it was three other lives he was supporting, rather than one...he felt like it was all the more important for him to be careful.

He lathered up a cloth, once his hair was washed, and scrubbed down his body carefully, took to carefully washing and preening his wings, before rinsing off entirely. The uncomfortable sensation of his wing oil stripped wings would last for a while, but he'd prefer them being clean anyway.

He dried off and dressed, then headed out to the living area.

Dean sat there, elbows on his knees, holding his head in his hands. "...Cas taking it rough, too?" Sam spoke softly.

Dean jerked slightly, apparently not having heard him enter, then looked up at him and gave a short nod. "He says like he feels it's his fault. I tried to tell him--"

"He and Gabriel are both gonna feel that way, Dean. Doesn't matter what we say, all we can do is be there for them. But to them? They brought their people to this, made them vulnerable, didn't save them...and it's...honestly, I barely comprehend it, and no, I don't agree with them feeling like that, but there's...we can't make them not feel that way."

Dean huffed out a sigh, shaking his head, then reached into his pocket and tossed something to Sam. Catching it, Sam smiled a bit to see a com. "Well, that was quick," he quipped.

"Surprised you didn't ask for one sooner. I've had it since about the time you vanished on us," Dean responded with a shrug.

Sam nodded, then put the com in his ear and turned it on. "I'm online," he spoke.

Silence met him for a couple of beats, then, "You are a complete asshole, Chrysalis," Moon Queen's voice came.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. Sorry, Moon Queen. I am," he spoke, looking at Dean as he spoke the words, letting him know that apology was to him as well. Dean gave a short nod of acceptance. "I just...I needed to figure my...my head and my heart out, and...I guess I couldn't do it here."

A short sniff sounded over the com. "Well, got it figured out now?" she demanded in a petulant tone.

"Yeah. Yeah, and uh--"

"Queenie, I've seen and heard things I never wanted to hear or see of him over the past couple of days. Oh, and get this--you're going to love this--he's pregnant," Dean spoke with a grin.

Moon Queen went silent, and Sam took the opportunity to mouth, 'Cas told you?' Dean nodded and a second later, Moon Queen was speaking a soft, "Holy shit."

Sam laughed softly and shook his head. "Yeah. You're gonna be an Auntie, Moon Queen."

"Twice over, actually. Gabe's preggers with Chrys' little bean, too," Dean spoke.

"Actually...four times over," Sam supplied.

Dean's eyes went wider than Sam had ever seen, and the angel looked down to his own stomach. "I've got three growing in there," he spoke, a bit surprised at how fond his own voice was.

"Whoa."

"Holy fucking _fuck_."

In response to Dean's words, Sam smirked broadly. "Oh, I'd definitely say it was good enough to be categorized as such." Moon Queen laughed, almost cackled, and Dean spluttered.

"Dude, I saw it, I didn't need to know that on top of it!" he objected.

Sam chuckled and shook his head.

"So...the three angels that were abducted...any lead yet?" he redirected.

Moon Queen's laugh faded to nothing, her tone becoming somber. "One of them is already dead, body left behind at the edge of a field, near a road. The other two, I'm still tracking, but it looks like they're being hauled toward a shipping yard in Maine."

"We're heading that direction then...keep us updated, please?"

"As ever," Moon Queen answered.

Sam looked over at Dean, then gestured toward the hallway. "Get ready, we gotta get going."

"...What about you?"

"I'm just another angel; no need for a mask anymore, Argent," he spoke, aware that Moon Queen could still be listening in.

Dean frowned, but gave a short nod and headed off to get changed.

Minutes later, they were taking to the skies. Not wanting to overdo it on his wings in case he needed them later, Sam opted to use his energy for flying instead.

As he drew further away from the compound, the link between himself and Gabriel went wide suddenly, a surge of panic shooting through it. Sam sent back a calm wave of reassurance. The connection fell quiet, though with a discontent feeling to it.

He was almost three full states away before it suddenly seemed to snap closed. He faltered in the air at the empty ache that filled his chest. Argent shot him a worried glance, but Sam shook his head, continuing on.

By the time they hit New Jersey, Moon Queen was speaking up again. "There's an auction going on at the shipping yard. Lots of black market goods. The highlight of the day? Two alien angels. ...You guys are going to need to push it, I'm not sure how long you've got until they're totally in the wind," she said.

Sam didn't say anything, instead pushed himself for speed, and Argent started grumbling about not being able to keep up. Which was unusual. He was the fastest of the two of them. Or he had been, before Sam had become what he was now.

Sam didn't bother waiting on Argent, though. He needed to get there, needed to bring these last two back, to bring them home.

He landed in the shipping yard, near the pier, and spotted someone slipping into a shipping container. Without thinking about it, his sword was in his hand and he was striding over to the stack of containers, ripping them open with a strength he didn't know he had.

The inside revealed that the stacked-together containers had been wielded together to create a large space for a crowd.

It would seem that he'd arrived just in time. The two angels were on the stage, bound hand and wing.

" ** _Guardian_** ," echoed over the silent room, all eyes on Sam. " ** _Guardian_**!" the same angel cried out in desperation.

"The angels aren't for sale," he spoke, not bothering to address her just yet.

He had just enough time to harden his cells as the first shot rang across the room. He turned his eyes over the crowd and felt a surge of wrath and anger fill him. The gunshots kept coming, bouncing off his hardened skin, and he tilted his head.

Instinct drove him in that moment. He did little more than cut his sword through the air, and flame flew from it, catching on every last person holding a weapon. Screams rent the air, and Sam moved forward through where others were trying to escape the fiery individuals.

He reached the stage and halted, seeing a gun being pointed at the angels huddling together there. His eyes moved slowly from the gun to the man holding it. "It'll be the last thing you ever do," he promised lowly.

The man stilled, eyes flicking to the burning crowd, then to Sam's sword, and finally, to his gun. It lowered, and Sam moved, vanishing the flame on his sword and deftly cutting the ropes binding the angels.

" ** _Are you truly a Guardian_**?" the second angel spoke, his eyes scanning over Sam.

"... ** _It would seem so. Come on, we have someplace safe where you can recover_** ," he spoke, turning to lead the way out.

A gun shot rang out and Sam froze as a bright burst of pain lanced through him. His eyes quickly found the source, a man standing at the foot of the stage, looking determined. He raised the gun again, and Sam lunged, swiftly beheading him.

" ** _Guardian_**?" the first angel spoke, voice pitched high in concern.

" ** _Just a wound to my wing, I'll be fine_** ," he spoke, turning just enough to gesture them forward. They swiftly followed.

When they reached the entrance, Argent was standing there, staring in shock at the flaming bodies. The ones that had not caught flame were long gone.

"Argent, let's get them back," he spoke, drawing his brother's gaze. Argent blinked, staring at him in shock. Sam frowned. "...I'll talk to you about it later, but we need to get back."

" ** _Is this wingless a threat, Guardian?_** " the second angel spoke.

Sam shook his head. " ** _There is much to explain. But no, this wingless, this human? He's my brother. He'll protect you_** ," he answered, looking back at the angels. Both **_Nesters_** , the woman with wings made of ebony and midnight, and the male with wings that were a ruddy red, looking like they needed a good cleaning. At his words, their wings both fluffed in confusion. Sam gave a short smile, then took to the sky. They immediately followed, and Argent was seconds after.


	41. Chapter 41

He was beginning to become agitated.

Okay, that was a severe exaggeration. He'd been agitated when he felt the strain on their connection. Near to agonized when it'd snapped off. Worried an hour after that. Now...now he felt like his skin was going to vibrate off, and he felt curls of anger.

Sam had left without a single word. Cas didn't know where he and Dean had gone off to, either. Gabriel was willing to bet it was hero stuff. Which, ya know, with his mate being pregnant, he shouldn't be out doing!

The connection had reopened a couple of hours ago, and while the strain on it was lessening, Gabriel deliberately kept it thin. By now, Sam knew he was unhappy, because he kept sending through tendrils of apology.

Gabriel ignored them.

Instead, he stood outside, in front of the compound, staring up at the darkening sky.

He'd been there for a good while before he caught sight of movement blocking out the stars. In the next instant, Sam was landing, holding a red-winged angel. Dean was shortly behind him, with an angel bearing wings that rivaled Cassie's shades.

" ** _It's safe now, Heturi, Meraya_** ," Sam spoke, releasing the angel in his arms and watching Gabriel with a worried frown.

The angel in his arms released him as he was set down to stand, then blinked and backed off as Gabriel drew near, his wings high in aggression. "I cannot even begin to state just how pissed I am with you!" he snarled.

"Hey! We--"

"Stay out of it, Dean," Sam interrupted, glancing back at where the midnight-winged angel was staring between them all with a worried frown from beside the human. He then looked back at Gabriel. "I know, Gabe. And I'm sorry, but if we'd been any later than we were...I don't know if we'd been able to bring them back," Sam spoke pleadingly.

Gabriel frowned, wings fluffing as he took in the other two angels. Just where had they...oh. "They're from the ship," he spoke as realization flooded him.

Sam nodded in his peripheral vision. "There...there had been three taken, Gabe, but one of them didn't make it very far. I...I needed to make sure they were safe."

Gabriel allowed his wings to settle, looking up at Sam. Slowly, he pulled the connection open wider.

In that same instant, Sam was pulling Gabriel into his arms and kissing him, flooding him with love and apology, through and through. Gabriel sent back acceptance and love in turn.

They were starting to get caught up in one another, and Dean let out a high pitched, uncomfortable clearing of his throat.

Sam froze and immediately pulled away, a flush staining his cheeks. Gabriel nuzzled against his chest, pouting a bit, but he could wait for a more proper coming home celebration.

" ** _Come on, guys, let's get you inside and set up in a room_** ," Sam spoke.

Gabriel and Sam led the way in, the two rescued angels following them, and Dean bringing up the rear.

Sam paused, then frowned, nose wrinkling. Gabriel sniffed, then jolted back at the acrid smell of smoke.

Dean cursed and took off for the kitchen.

" ** _Uhg, what is that?_** " the midnight winged angel spoke, covering her nose.

" ** _The others don't know how to cook human food yet...but it smells like someone tried_** ," Sam spoke, humor in his voice.

" ** _Meraya_**?" Sefir's voice came.

The midnight winged angel stilled, and her eyes quickly found the cream-winged **_Sentinel_**. She gasped and flung herself toward him. He swept forward out of the living area, catching her and hugging her bodily to him as she buried her face into his shoulder.

" ** _Sefir...Sefir!_** " she spoke, starting to sob.

Nariel was rising from the sofa and looking very much in awe of the scene before him.

" ** _I never thought I'd see you again, sister_** ," Sefir's voice came, just barely audible.

" ** _We were sent to find you, what'd become of your vessel. ...I didn't think...especially after the wingless attacked us, I thought_** \--"

" ** _There are bad humans, yes, but there are good ones. Chrys and his brother are prime examples. They've given us a home here, and continue to keep us safe and provisioned_** ," Sefir interrupted softly, still holding the small **_Nester_ **close.

At that, Meraya began to release her brother, looking toward the kitchen, then turning to glance back in Sam's direction. "... ** _There...hasn't been time for introductions. The Guardian was most eager to return_** ," she spoke.

Sefir's wings jerked up slightly, and he looked up at Sam. "... ** _Guardian_**?" he spoke.

Sam chuckled weakly, shyness flooding over their connection. " _ **Yeah, uh...I guess Nariel hasn't had a chance to tell everyone yet? Though I did tell him in confidence**_..." he spoke.

The others were spilling forth from the dining room now, either to escape the slowly dissipating smoke, or catching onto the conversation.

Without another word, Sam brought forth his sword, a dull flicker of flame over it as he carefully kept it away from the other angels.

When every last one of them, even Cassie who knew already, looked at him in awe, Gabriel frowned at Sam's discomfort.

" ** _It's still Chrysalis, who came to our aid, guys. Still Sam, my mate. Still the guy who makes awesome chocolate chip pancakes, and who sits down with us to help us understand their texts every evening. So quit looking at him like that_** ," Gabriel growled out.

It didn't help much, but Sefir, at least, had the decency to look ashamed, and even Cassie looked away.

Finally, Sefir spoke up. " ** _Thank you...Sam_** ," he spoke uncertainly, glancing at Gabriel. "... ** _I had not even known my sister's ship was the one to arrive. Had you not_** \--"

" ** _Sefir, you don't need to thank me...and I'd prefer you didn't? I'm just happy that...that I was able to save these two, at least_** ," Sam spoke quietly. "...I'm going to go help Dean," he added, to Gabriel, then vanished his sword, heading for the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, guys. I have a caffeine deprivation migraine and I'm lucky to have been able to write this much. Hopefully I'm feeling better tomorrow and can write more.


	42. Chapter 42

It took over two hours for Dean and himself to clean up the mess made of the kitchen and to get food on the table for all thirteen of them. But they pretty much had made a grand old feast of it. A wonderful thick beef stew, with mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus with lemon, and buttery dinner rolls as sides.

During the time they spent cooking, Sam had spoken with Dean, and they'd come up with a tentative plan; they didn't want this happening again, didn't want more angels to show up and wind up killed, or worse.

So, as they laid out the pots of stew and the angels gathered closer to the table, Sam glanced up at Sefir. The leader of the gaggle of angels was holding his sister close to him, arm around her waist; on his other side, he had Nariel's shoulders wrapped under his arm. " ** _Is your ship's communication equipment still functional?_** " he asked.

Sefir blinked, tilting his head in curiosity, then looked over at Mefusa.

Mefusa glanced back, then looked up at Sam. " ** _It is_** ," he confirmed, a silent ' _Why_?' hovering in the air above them all.

" ** _In the morning, I'd like you to show me how it works, please_** ," Sam addressed Mefusa, taking it that he was communications officer.

Mefusa's wings ruffled with question, but he nodded silently, not pushing for an answer.

It was Gabriel that did.

" ** _What are you thinking, kiddo?_** " he asked.

Sam shot him a warm smile. " ** _I'm thinking of setting up a warning. I don't want this happening again, Gabriel. If we can warn anyone approaching to reach out and contact us first, we can also make sure we're the first there, that any newcomers are safe_** ," he began. He then looked over the other angels. " ** _I'm not going to actively send out a beacon inviting survivors of your planet here, but any that happen to come are welcome_** ," he finished.

Heturi and Meraya's wings both fluffed in a mix of agitation and confusion. Meraya opened her mouth, but Heturi managed to speak before her. " ** _What do you mean, 'our planet?' It was yours once as well! You are a Guardian, you are meant_** \--"

" ** _Do not presume to tell me what I am meant to do_** ," Sam immediately growled out, wings rising high in agitation. Heturi's mouth clicked shut, and Sam sighed, shaking his wings out and lowering them. "... ** _And I mean, your planet. I was originally human, Heturi. I became an angel after_**..." he began, then frowned, shooting Gabriel a questioning look. Heturi and Meraya's eyes followed his line of sight, staring at Gabriel.

"... ** _Let's talk about this as we eat_** ," the other angel hedged, moving to take a seat as Dean brought out the last of the sides.

Sam smiled softly, taking a seat next to Gabriel and kissing his cheek softly. Warmth surged between them, and Sam relaxed as he watched everyone serve themselves.

Only once everyone had begun to eat did Sam look at Gabriel again, raising an eyebrow in question. Gabriel shot a grumble of displeasure over their connection and Sam chuckled, letting his amusement flow back, as well as a soft reassurance. He'd handle it.

" ** _As I said, I was originally human_** ," he began. Heturi and Meraya paused for a moment, then continued eating along with the rest of the angels, but it was clear their attention was on Sam. "... ** _This isn't easy to explain, guys. There's plenty we just don't know. But we found out that Gabriel's grace reacted to me, to my energy...to what we humans call a soul. It's essentially our counterpart to your grace, and not every human can access it. Those that can usually wind up a hero, or a villain_** ," Sam explained. He licked his lips and took a moment to take a chunk of a roll, dip it into his stew, and eat it. Once he'd swallowed, he continued. " ** _It was a while after Sefir's ship landed, while we were readying this compound for them, that a large group of villains attacked them. I...I was severely injured_** ," he said, frowning.

" ** _He was dying_** ," Gabriel amended, an echo of pain and grief sweeping from him.

Sam grimaced and reached over, taking Gabriel's hand and squeezing softly. " ** _I'm here, still. Largely thanks to you_** ," he said, giving a weak smile. Gabriel looked up at him and his lips twitched up, but he was clearly wanting to get away from the memory. So Sam looked back over at Meraya, then Heturi, and continued. " ** _Since I was...past the ability to heal myself, something that I'm highly proficient at, I...I reached to Gabriel with my energy. His grace reacted, as it had proven to do in the past...but that time, he didn't hold it back, restrain it as he had been doing. His grace poured into me, through me. Somehow, it healed me...and changed me on a molecular level. I was unconscious for it all, and that's probably a good thing. When I woke, I was an angel_** ," he said.

There was silence for a long few moments, then Heturi made a disbelieving sound. " ** _That's abs_** \--"

" ** _It's true_** ," Sefir cut in. Heturi looked at him, and seeing the nods of the other angels, looked back at Sam with incredulity.

" ** _This is beyond the realm of possibility! How_** \--"

" ** _As I said, there's plenty we just don't know, Heturi. But it happened_** ," Sam spoke, turning his attention to his food and dismissing the conversation.

Heturi's feathers ruffled at that, and he looked around the table, but seeing even Meraya accepting that, he fell silent and seemed to almost angrily be eating.

Sam watched him for a moment, then sent a pulse of concern to Gabriel. Gabriel paused, looking up and following Sam's line of sight. His own concern bled through, but he looked up at Sam. "Whatever comes, we'll handle it," he whispered to him.

Sam looked down to meet his lover's eyes and nodded. "By the way... ** _mate_**?" he questioned just as quietly.

Gabriel's cheeks flushed brightly, and Sam felt his shy embarrassment at that, but he chuckled and leaned down, kissing the other's forehead. "We'll discuss it later, then," he spoke quietly, turning back to his food.

He caught Cas elbowing Dean from across the table and blinked, looking up. Dean was staring down the length of the table, watching Heturi with clear distrust; Castiel had been translating everything for him, and Dean didn't like what he was seeing and hearing. Sam watched as his brother finally looked at Cas, gaze softening. Finally, he looked over at Sam, and Sam gave a tight smile and a shrug. As Gabriel had whispered to him, whatever it was, they'd deal with it.

Dean and Cas wound up taking care of clean up after dinner. Sefir took his sister down the first floor hallway, presumably to set her up with a room. And so, Sam took it upon himself to get Heturi comfortable.

Approaching the red-winged angel proved that this was going to be no easy task. " ** _I understand that you're upset, Heturi...though I'll admit I'm unsure as to why. But for now, let's just get you set up here, yeah? There's six floors, and most of the rooms are empty. Which_** \--"

" ** _I'll find my own way_** ," he snapped lowly, making for the stairs.

Sam huffed a sigh, frowning as he watched him go. Gabriel was at his side but a moment later, and Sam shot him a faint smile. Concern and worry was spilling back and forth between them.

"Sefir and his crew weren't all that eager to be around us when they first arrived, either, Sam. Give it time, he'll ease into it," the golden angel offered, despite his own unease.

"Yeah...yeah, you're right," Sam said quietly. He then allowed some playfulness forth, shooting Gabriel a sly grin. "Now, if I'm your **_mate_** , shouldn't we be sharing a room?" he questioned teasingly.

Gabriel flushed again, but his heavily pleased emotion showed that he was more than down with this idea. "Mm, I suppose so," he spoke airily. "But which--"

Sam cut him off with a memory. Their first evening together, Gabriel above him, basked in the warm glow of the setting sun. It brought awe and arousal from his angel. "I much liked that view," Sam spoke quietly, sending a wave of love and his own slight arousal to Gabriel.

Gabriel cleared his throat, the sound tight against a well of emotion that was flowing out of him. "Alright, yeah, my room's good. Though I suppose it only fair to call it our room, now," he said with a grin.

Sam chuckled and leaned down, kissing him deeply. "I'll gather up what I've got from my old room, and be up there soon," he promised. Before Gabriel could step away, though, Sam gently placed his hand against Gabriel's stomach, pulling his energy forth. He smiled at what he felt; no longer a flicker, but practically a flame now. He wondered just how powerful this life was going to wind up being, before it was even born. Gabriel looked at him questioningly, waiting for him to give him an idea of what he felt. Sam beamed at him, sending love and warmth forward. "The baby's doing good, Gabe. So good. And I'm going to make sure it stays that way," he assured softly, allowing his energy to fade away.

Gabriel's eyes lit up, happiness surging through him...then curiosity as his eyes fell to Sam's stomach. "And...that one?" he asked, looking back up at Sam.

Sam faltered, and Gabriel frowned, worry edging between them. Sam shook his head. "Good. I...it's good," he spoke, trying to assure Gabriel.

The other angel frowned. "Are you sure? You don't seem sure," he said, worry heavy in his tone.

"I'm sure," Sam hedged, giving a small smile. "Just, uhm...look, I'll tell you upstairs, I promise. It's...not bad," he said, an unspoken ' _I hope_ ' hanging in the air between them.

Gabriel frowned, but nodded in acceptance. "In that case, hurry upstairs," he said, leaning up and pecking Sam's lips before turning and headed toward an elevator, apparently not feeling climbing the stairs this time.

Sam watched him until the elevator doors had closed, carefully keeping his nervous energy out of their connection. What was Gabe going to say, how was he going to react, when he found out that Sam was carrying not one child, but three?

Oh, God, this was going to be a mess, wasn't it? Sam sighed and headed for what would soon be his former room.


	43. Chapter 43

Sam had entered the room with nothing but a duffel, and Gabriel came to realize that they both had little in the way of possessions here. ...They needed to change that. A trip to Tower...and maybe to more stores. Gabriel would like that, he believed; their shopping excursion the day before had been something he highly enjoyed, despite their bond being closed off for the most of it.

Helping Sam put away his things, he could see the nervousness that his mate was hiding from their connection. Immediately, he halted, staring at him as he shot a wave of annoyance down it.

Sam flinched, turning a guilty look on Gabriel. "I...it's just--"

"Out with it, Sam," Gabriel countered.

Sam's eyes darted about, seeking escape routes, Gabriel realized. He frowned, allowing his worry to permeate the space between them. Sam frowned, his feathers ruffling as he felt it, then sighed, looking back down to the drawer in front of him before resuming his task.

"I know you...I know that us both being pregnant at the same time wasn't something you considered...anywhere close to ideal," he began, and Gabriel remained silent, just watching, wondering what was going on. Sam licked his lips and glanced at him nervously before pulling another shirt from his duffel. At that, he stilled, his nervousness and apprehension flooding them both as his wings started to hunch in over his shoulders, as if to brace himself against something. He was quiet for a moment longer, and then, "There's three," he spoke softly.

Gabriel frowned, confusion flooding him. "...Three?" he questioned, unsure.

Sam flashed him a scowl, apparently thinking Gabriel was being deliberately dense. He then sighed and gave a nod. "Gabriel, I'm carrying three children," he spoke quietly, carefully.

Gabriel stared, felt his wings raise in shock, felt his eyes opening so wide it hurt, felt his mouth drop open...but that was all he could really feel, was shock.

Sam seemed to be cringing under it, frowning down at the shirt he was gripping tight, before carefully forcing himself to tuck it away.

Gabriel's eyes slowly slid from Sam's face, down to his stomach. ...Three. He'd put three fledglings in his mate. Three fledglings that this angel before him was well suited to carry and protect, he realized. He'd worry anyway, he knew...but he also knew Sam wouldn't let anything happen to them, not while he carried them, not after they were born...not while he drew breath. ...And the same applied to the one Gabriel was carrying.

When he pulled the shock back, Sam almost seemed to falter. He definitely did when Gabriel flooded him with love, warmth, and happy approval. His head snapped up, eyes wide, a tentative happiness creeping forward out of him as he watched Gabriel, trying to make sure this was okay.

"Sam...why would you think I'd be unhappy about this?" Gabriel asked softly.

"You...you just...at first, it didn't seem like you even wanted us both carrying at the same time, and then...I thought this would just make things complicated, that there was more than one, and...Gabe, we're going to have four tikes running around before we know it! How are we going to juggle four children? Hell, five if we're helping Cas and Dean out with theirs!" Sam spilled, looking very much like he was about to panic.

Gabriel frowned, stepping closer and raising his hands, cupping Sam's face between them. "Kiddo, we'll be alright. I don't know how humans do it, but with angels? It's a...a uh... ** _communal_ **thing. At the end of the day, they're our children, but everyone here will help them learn and grow," he assured. His words had Sam beginning to relax. "We'll have final say, but everyone will pitch in," he continued on.

"So...so this is okay?" his mate asked softly.

At that, Gabriel finally let loose the last emotions he'd been holding back. Primal satisfaction and arousal at having impregnated the Guardian with not one, but three fledglings. It sparked a heady arousal outta Sam, his pupils blowing wide in an instant. "Oh, more than," Gabriel supplied quietly.

Sam's eyes fell to his lips and his hands went to Gabriel's hips, pulling him closer. Gabriel tilted his head up a bit, but Sam didn't move to take the offered kiss. Instead, he spoke, and that was annoying, but Gabriel allowed it, given the subject. "So what does it mean, that we're... ** _mates_** , that you claimed me as a **_mate_**?"

Gabriel smirked a bit and shrugged. "Means there's no one else for me, Sammy. There's a bit more to it, to concrete things, but...I don't want for anyone else. ...And given what there is between us? I'm not sure there ever could be anyone else, honestly," he said.

Sam frowned at that, upset flooding out of him, and started to pull away. "...I'm not sure I like that. It...it feels like I'm taking your choice away here," he said quietly.

Gabriel shook his head. "No, Sam. I fell in love with you long before this, and you know it. You trying to tell me it's different for you?" he queried challengingly.

"No! No, I just...what if we change, grow apart? I love you now, and I don't feel like that's going to change. And I imagine you feel the same. But there's plenty of people--humans--that feel that way, that get married, only to find themselves changing and coming apart. Sometimes within weeks or months, sometimes within years. And then they get divorced and go their separate ways. But...if there's this between us, how could we ever do that, if the need arose?"

Gabriel frowned. It was rare, but he had heard of mated angels winding up having to dissolve their bond to one another. But their bond was nothing in comparison to what he and Sam already had; it wasn't this mental and emotional thing that was tying himself and Sam together. At the very most, it allowed one or both angels to sense if their mate was near, if it did that at all.

Finally, Gabriel gave a small shrug. "I don't know. I really don't. Everything about us is something new, Sam. If you don't want to cement this thing between us into a **_mating bond_** , I won't push it. But I won't lie and say I don't want it, anyway," he said quietly.

Sam was quiet for a moment, then finally leaned down, gently pressing his lips to Gabriel's. They kissed, long and slow, with no added heat to it as they gently sent waves of love back and forth.

Sam finally broke it, allowing them both air, and leaned his forehead against Gabriel's. "I want to think on it. It's not a no...it's a heavy possibility of a yes, in fact, but...I want time to think on it. ...What does a **_mating bond_** entail, anyway?" he asked, curiosity gracing his features and their link.

Gabriel considered for a moment, then blinked, his eyebrows going up. "Uh...we may.... Okay, so typically, it takes a grace-healer to do it. But we may not need one. In fact, I think...I think we might already have sort of formed one?" Surprise and confusion radiated from Sam. Gabriel plunged ahead before he could speak, though. "What there is between us, Sam, is completely unlike anything from my planet. Grace doesn't react that way, not that anyone's ever spoken of, anyway. It's almost painful to pull it forth, to use it. Grace-healers are the ones to help manufacture a **_bond_ **between angels, to tie their graces together. At the very most, it allows them to sense when one of the others is near. It is not anything like this connection we have. But now that I think about it? It's possible that what we have is a...a half-formed **_mating bond_** ," he supplied.

Sam was quiet, his emotions simmering and contemplative. "Why has no one made that connection before?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I don't know...maybe because of everything that happened in the wake of it? Your very DNA changing? The power that builds between us? It's completely unheard of, Sam. Even with the stories of the **_Guardians_** , there's no talk of it. ...Far as I know. We'll have to ask Cassie and Jivi, of course, but I don't remember hearing of anything like it," he admitted.

Sam was quiet for a moment, still contemplative. "So...it's half-formed already?"

"It seems like, but I can't really say for sure."

"So...what would I need to do to complete it, then?"

Gabriel blinked and frowned. Sam didn't have grace...what would this do to him, if he were to attempt to complete it? Gabriel's eyes dropped to Sam's stomach. ...What would it do to the fledglings he carried? ...Or, for that matter, the one that Gabriel was carrying? He paled and shook his head, taking a step back. "This isn't a good idea," he spoke quietly.

"Gabriel--"

"No, Sam? It isn't. When I poured my grace into you, it changed your very DNA. Don't think no one told me that you were screaming for near to a full day after that! We don't know what, if anything, will happen if we try to complete it now. But our bodies are supporting more than our own lives, and...we could kill them, Sam. We could wind up killing them if we tried to do this," Gabriel pleaded.

Horror, and understanding, flooded from Sam at his words, and Sam dropped his hands from Gabriel's hips. There was a hollow ache between them, and Gabriel wasn't sure which of them was putting that forth. But Sam nodded. "You're right. I wasn't thinking," he admitted quietly.

Gabriel watched the way Sam's wings sagged forlornly, felt as his own echoed the motion, and moved forward, taking Sam's hand. "...We'll figure this out. For now? What we have is plenty strong enough, yeah?" he said.

Sam's lips twitched slightly, and love spilled into Gabriel in a soft, warm wave. "Yeah."


	44. Chapter 44

They woke the next morning, not to the light of the dawn, but to the light above them surging and pulsing before exploding in sparks. Sam automatically flung his wings wide as the glass rained down. The room was otherwise dark, revealing that the sun had yet to crest the horizon.

Sam frowned, mind reeling as he tried to figure things out. There was only one other being, one other pair, that could make that happen within the compound right now.

Moving swiftly, Sam climbed from the bed, hardening his cells before his feet could land on the glass he shook from his wings.

"Don't move, not yet," he ordered Gabriel, who was sleepily coming about with strong waves of confusion lapping from him.

Sam moved and pulled on house shoes they'd all taken to wearing, frowning as he wondered how many feet he was going to have to heal after this. But first, he needed to check on his brother...and give him an earful for being so reckless, especially this early in the morning.

He moved back over to Gabriel and helped him into his own house shoes and off the bed.

"Sam?" Gabriel questioned, already following as Sam swiftly left their room.

"Dean and Cas did something stupid. We're going to have to replace all the lights in the damned compound. And God only knows how many wounds I'm going to have to heal after that. He can be so...so idiotic sometimes!" Sam growled, feathers ruffling and rucking high in his agitation.

When they reached the third floor, Sam's agitation vanished into something akin to terror.

Dean was _screaming_. Castiel was in the hallway, sagging heavily against Mefusa's side, barely conscious as he stared into his and Dean's room in horror. Heturi was staring into the room as well, shock and surprise in his every feature. The whole thing was lit by flickers, and Sam knew at once, _it was on fire_.

He didn't bother with words, instead sending an image of a fire extinguisher to Gabriel, tucked inside the door under the kitchen sink. He felt Gabriel accept the silent order, moving away, and Sam rushed down the hallway.

He went to Cas first, reaching out a hand and feeling for the life inside of him. ...It was dulled, pained, but still there, still strong. Nothing seemed off, nothing for him to heal.

" ** _Didn't...I didn't mean_**..." Cas was muttering.

" ** _Shh. It's alright. Everything's alright, Cas. The fledgling's okay, too. Rest now_** ," Sam assured.

By the time Sam was pulling away, Mefusa was grunting and lowering Cas to the floor gently. Sam turned away, hardening his cells once again as he stepped into the room.

Flames licked at his wings and he winced. He'd discovered already, back at the shipping yard in Maine, that his ability to withstand wounds did not extend to his wings. At least the bullet wound had been a simple thing to heal. He tucked his wings tight to his back and moved toward his brother, writhing and screaming on the bed.

"Shh, Dean," he murmured as he moved, heedless of the flames around them, licking at their bodies. He placed on hand on Dean's forehead, and the other on his chest, and started to pour his energy forth.

Dean's very being resisted, and it was painful, but Sam kept on, trying to speed up the changes, to end the agony to his brother.

Gabriel's mind prodded at their connection, and Sam took a second, just one, to push forth the use for the fire extinguisher to him.

Within seconds, there was a sharp, loud hissing noise, and the heat of the room was dulling slowly. Sam's attention had already returned to his brother, and he kept pouring forth his own energy into Dean's resistant one. He'd healed his brother in the past, and this resistance had never been there before.

"C'mon, Dean. It's me, dammit," he muttered in a huff.

And surprisingly, Dean's eyes fluttered open. They were dull, glazed over, moving over Sam's face in a way that showed no recognition...not for several long seconds. Then they cleared, just for a second, and shut again as his back bowed upward and he let out another scream.

But the resistance was gone, and his energy flooded Dean, feeling out all the wrong spaces.

This was so different from anything Sam had ever felt, and he knew he needed to be careful here, because there was a major change, a molecular change, _a species change_ , happening within his big brother. He needed to aid it, not hinder it.

Shutting his eyes, closing everything else off, even his connection with Gabriel, he focused entirely on his brother. He could feel the changes happening, and it took a few moments of analyzing them to determine what was right, what was a change that was needed, and what was wrong, what could be done without.

He took a deep breath and pulsed his energy into Dean in one great wave, clicking everything into place. With little more than a whimper following the action, Dean fell silent, seeming to slip into a peaceful sleep.

Sam withdrew his hands, trying not to lilt to the side, trying not to collapse on his brother. He brought one hand to his stomach, and felt that what he'd done had, thankfully, not affected the lives growing in him; they were almost flames themselves now, much like the one Gabriel carried.

...Speaking of.

He turned slightly, seeing Gabriel standing there with a strained expression on his face. Sam gave a tired smile and reopened their link.

"Sorry...sorry," he murmured softly as he did, flooding apology through the link with the words.

And then it was all dark.

\--

Angels were flooding the entry to the room as Gabriel dropped the fire extinguisher and swept forward, catching Sam as he pitched forward.

" ** _What in the ever loving hells is going on??_** " Heturi spoke from one side of the crowded doorway.

Gabriel turned an enraged glare on the **_Nester_** , baring his teeth viciously as he held Sam close. His wings were pressing against the charred ceiling, feathers rucked high in aggression.

Nariel pushed past the crowd and paused at the display, then slowly slipped forward, keeping a close eye on Gabriel. When Gabriel didn't pay him any attention, he made his way to Dean and started to turn him over. Once the human was on his stomach, he pushed his shirt up and tilted his head.

Slowly, Gabriel moved his attention over, eyeing the bumps on Dean's back. ...Human no more. That was the same sort of indication every six month old fledgling gave before their wings sprouted.

Nariel looked up at Gabriel, then over to Sefir. " ** _We'll need to take him up to the ship; this place has no medical facility with which I can monitor him until he wakes_** ," he spoke quietly.

Apparently Heturi didn't like his question ignored, because he dared to stalk into the room, despite Gabriel's ever-present display. " ** _Would someone explain_** \--"

" ** _No_** ," Gabriel snapped lowly. " ** _If you're so much of an idiot that you can't guess after everything we told you last night, then you don't need to know_** ," he hissed out, wings vibrating in threat.

Heturi's wings gave an abortive gesture of rebellion and anger, and then he made the mistake of stepping forward with his feathers rucking upward. " ** _I don't listen to traitors_** ," he hissed.

" ** _And yet you're questioning the only one of us that can best answer you. One step closer, Heturi. One step, and I'll put my blade in your throat_** ," Gabriel intoned back evenly.

With a snarl, the red winged angel backed off and stormed from the room.

Gabriel's wings took some coaxing to bring back down from their aggressive stance. ...It helped when he looked down at Sam. Which...was a bit of a humorous sight. He was pretty much face-planted against Gabriel's chest. Allowing a fond, humored smile, he brushed his mate's hair back gently, then carefully moved and lifted him up. " ** _I'm going to go clear our bed of glass and lay him down. If you guys could get Cassie and Dean up to the ship...I'd be very grateful_** ," he spoke quietly, tone unsure.

" ** _Of course_** ," Sefir responded at once. When Gabriel met his eyes, the Sentinel gave a reassuring smile. It seemed that, in their time here, they'd come to accept Gabriel as one of their own, and no longer saw him as the traitor he'd been.

Gabriel smiled his appreciation, briefly, then moved forward. The angels parted for him easily as he carried Sam back to the elevator, to go up to their room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohmigosh, you guys...I fully did not expect this story to be going this long when I started it. But what can I say? My muse just keeps on truckin' with it! I mean, 40+ chapters? WOW!


	45. Chapter 45

When Sam came to, it was to the low light of the sun vanishing on the horizon, beyond the mountain. So...about mid-evening, he'd suppose. There was a warm weight against his chest, and a smaller one resting against his stomach, stroking over it tenderly. Smiling softly, he turned his head and flooded their connection with love as he nuzzled the top of Gabriel's head. "They're alright," he assured gently.

"I figured. You didn't seem upset before you passed out, and I saw you holding your hand over your stomach," Gabriel spoke quietly.

"Mm. ...Gabe?" he began, frowning as he moved to meet his eyes. Gabriel looked up at him, lifting his head enough to tilt it in question. Sam frowned, feeling like he already knew the answer. "...Have you eaten?"

Gabe ducked his head immediately, feathers ruffling. "Didn't really think about it," he murmured against the bare skin of Sam's chest.

Sam sighed and shook his head. "Come on, let's go get food. We both need a healthy amount of nutrients," he said, starting to shift so he could sit up. Gabriel pulled away to follow suit. "...It is still the same day, right?" he asked as they both moved to stand.

"Yeah. Just been about...fourteen hours, I'd say."

"Mm. Anyone come up to say anything about Dean or Cas?" he asked next, moving to put on a shirt. He needed a shower, but it could wait until he'd gotten some food, and a shake, in him.

"Mefusa came by once. They're settled up in the medical station of the ship, and Nariel's keeping an eye on them," Gabriel spoke, getting his own shirt on. Sam had his done up first, what with it having less fastenings, and walked over to Gabriel, kissing the back of his neck as he started helping with his lover's shirt.

He felt worry coming from him and smiled gently. "Their son's alright, Gabe. First thing I did when you headed downstairs was to make sure my nephew was alright. ...He was hurt, but not anything I could heal, nothing that was life threatening. Likely, just a back lash from what they'd done. He'll be alright," he assured gently.

" _Our_ nephew," Gabriel huffed, but his worry had fled him with the words.

Sam chuckled and kissed the back of his neck again, then nuzzled his hair before taking his hand. "Come on, food, shower...and then we can go up to the ship and check on our brothers, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan, kiddo."

" ** _Oh, thank the Father and Mother, someone who can cook. Sam, save us_** ," Jivi spoke as they came into the kitchen.

There was a bubbling red-brown mess in a pot on the stove, and Glips was staring up at him with worry and shame in her eyes.

Sam just shot her a soft smile. " ** _Don't worry about it. ...Dean and I, once he's awake again...we'll start making sure you guys know how to cook. For now, set that to the side, on a pot holder, to cool until we can dump it, okay?_** " he said with a gentle tone.

Glips shot a grateful smile, doing as instructed, and stepped to the other side of the island counter as Sam started to dig through the fridge.

In the bottom of the fridge were four family packs of ribeyes, about an inch thick each, and four to a pack in all. His wings gave a small twitch as he considered, before they fell on the shrimp as well. ...It was Tuesday, the night he'd wanted to make a special meal for Gabriel, but Sam needed to cook for all of them; Dean was out of commission, and they couldn't fend for themselves just yet. He sighed softly and shrugged. Surf and turf it was, then. He stood and looked at Gabriel, slowly pushing memory and instruction to him.

Gabriel blinked as he received it. His nose wrinkled. " ** _Uhg, that doesn't look good, kiddo_** ," he spoke.

Sam chuckled. " ** _Trust me_** ," he said.

In an instant, love and trust flooded him, and his wings gave an abortive gesture of surprise at the heaviness of it. He'd known Gabriel loved him, and...yeah, it seemed kinda silly for him to think that Gabriel didn't also trust him. But feeling it? That was something else entirely. He smiled warmly and let his own love and trust flow, for just a moment, then gestured to the bowl of apples. " ** _Get to work_** , sous chef," he teased lightly.

"Sous chef?" Gabriel questioned, digging through a drawer for an apple corer.

Sam chuckled and shook his head. " ** _It's_** French... ** _not sure the exact definition, but it's basically the person directly under the_** chef... ** _uh, has command of the kitchen to help the_** chef. **_Sort of like a second-in-command?_** " he offered before shaking his head. " ** _Anyway, I'm gonna go light up that_** grill **_out back, you work on that salad_** ," he said, moving over to peck Gabriel's cheek just as the golden angel let out a sound of triumph at finding the corer. Sam's amusement filtered down their connection, and a surge of fondness met it as he grabbed charcoal and matches from the pantry, heading out the sliding glass doors.

As he worked on the grill and getting it up to temperature, queries were sent back and forth between himself and Gabriel. He chuckled to himself at the dubious images that filtered between them as his lover worked on the Waldorf Salad.

This thing with passing memory, thought, and information, was getting easier and easier as time went on, and Sam pondered that. He wondered if it was something they were just becoming skilled at, or if it had to do with the strength of what was between them.

He was disturbed from his thoughts as Sefir's voice drifted up from behind him. " ** _What are you doing, Sam?_** " he asked, drawing nearer and staring at the grill that was almost at the ready.

Sam turned and shot him a smile. " ** _Getting ready to_** grill out. **_There's nothing like meat seared on a_** grill. **_Trust me, you guys are going to love it!_** " he said with a grin.

Sefir blinked, raising an eyebrow, his feathers fluffing curiously as he gazed back to the flickering flames. " ** _It seems...primitive_** ," he spoke, doubt creeping along his tone.

Sam just chuckled and shrugged. " ** _In a way, it is. But trust me, okay? I have yet to steer you guys wrong, right?_** "

" ** _I don't know, that...asparagus the other night...it wasn't to my tastes. Though, Nariel did quite enjoy it, as did Meraya,_** " he responded, just a hint of humor in his tone.

Sam smiled a bit, then pursed his lips. "... ** _How is your sister doing? She went through something heavily traumatizing...most humans wouldn't be responding to it very well_** ," he questioned.

Sefir was quiet for a long moment, considering. "... ** _Though there was little in the way of war on my planet, the majority of my people were trained for combat, and strengthened to be able to handle such intense trauma. Mostly because we were often sent to outposts to defend them, or even to allied planets to help with their wars_** ," he supplied. "... ** _In all, Meraya is doing well, I suppose. ...She has not said anything to me if she is upset_**."

Sam frowned. " ** _Wait...you have allied planets, and outposts...but your people were seeking to wipe out another race and take their planet? Why?_** " he spoke, careful to keep any sort of malice out of his own tone. He wasn't trying to be accusatory, though really, he felt he should be. Instead, he was trying to understand.

Sefir frowned and sighed. " ** _The outposts were just way points...not habitable, only a place where resources our own planet lacked were abundant, and where vessels could make a pit stop to restock on the very basest of essentials, if absolutely necessary. As for the allied planets...the few that had atmospheric conditions that matched our needs were more powerful than us, and would easily see an attack coming_** ," he responded. His wings were set low in a sign of distress. "... ** _In the time that I've spent here, interacting with Gabriel and Castiel, watching the TV and with what little I can understand of it...I've come to see just how wrong it was of us to try and commit genocide for the sake of our own survival, no matter how desperate we were._** "

Sam reached out, gripping Sefir's shoulder and offering a warm smile. " ** _You've learned, you've grown. And you know better now. ...Welcome to Earth, Sefir. Welcome to your new home,_** " he said simply. With another squeeze, followed by a pat, he moved past the other angel and inside to start seasoning the meat and skewer up the shrimp for the grill.

Inside, Gabriel was talking to Jivi and Glips, the salad already in the fridge. He glanced at Sam as he came in, shooting a tendril of love to him, as well as a smile, and Sam shot the same back to him as he went to the fridge.

As he worked on getting everything ready, he listened to the other three angels.

" ** _I honestly can't say. I could speculate, but...there's just no real answer, I think_** ," Jivi's voice came.

" ** _I bet he is. And I saw the nodes on his back. He'll definitely have six wings_** ," Glips was saying. It took a couple of seconds, but Sam put it together; they were talking about Dean.

" ** _Well, let's look at it from a familial standpoint_** ," Gabriel cut in. " ** _In the stories...did Guardians run in families?_** "

He knew he was emanating surprise as he listened, and Gabriel pressed a soothing emotion to him that had his wings settling comfortably as he continued to work. The steaks had taken little time to season, and the shrimp had been shelled and deveined at the store, so all he had to do was skewer them now. With three pounds of the delicious shellfish, there was enough for five a skewer.

" ** _I never really...hm_** ," Jivi spoke, falling silent for a long few minutes, clearly sifting through memory. Finally, just as Sam was finished with the skewers, he spoke. " ** _There are a few instances of twin Guardians, but beyond that...there seemed little in the way of rhyme or reason_** ," he finally spoke.

" ** _Well, if Dean's a Guardian_** ," Sam interjected as he turned with the baking sheet loaded down with food to grill, " ** _we'll know not too long after he wakes up_** ," he said with a smile and a shrug.

"... ** _How long do you think he'll be out, anyway? You...you did something, right? He wasn't screaming for nearly as long as you were, back during your change_** ," Glips spoke curiously.

Sam gave a shrug and a shake of his head. " ** _There's no way to know, but...if I had to guess? At least a couple of days. I'm more worried about Cas, honestly_** ," Sam confessed. " ** _Dean's been knocked for a loop before. But Cas_**..." he started, glancing at Gabriel. Gabriel shook his head and Sam frowned in concern. "... ** _and he's pregnant on top of it. I'm worried about both him and the fledgling_** ," he finished quietly.

" ** _Nariel will make sure to care for them all, Sam_** ," Jivi spoke, giving Sam, and then Gabriel, what was probably his best reassuring smile.

While concern was still pulsing between them in waves, they gave appreciative smiles back, and without another word, Sam headed back outside.

He was surprised to see Sefir still out there, by the grill. The sky was fully dark now, but the motion lights on the patio had kicked on.

" ** _Here to watch a pro handle a_** grill?" Sam said with a grin as he made his way over. It was a good thing this grill was large enough to be used in a restaurant setting; he'd need every bit of space to fit all this food.

Sefir blinked, his wings giving a startle motion as he looked back at Sam. " ** _Oh...yes, I suppose so_** ," he said, looking back into the coals. " ** _I confess myself curious about this cooking method_** ," he added.

Sam laughed and shook his head. " ** _Man, you almost sounded like Cas there for a second. Too formal, man. Relax a little_** ," he said, patting his shoulder and picking up the two-pronged fork with an decent length handle, designed for grilling. He began to lay the steaks on the grill, one after an another. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sefir's wings twitching at the sizzle, and then lifting just a bit as the smell hit them.

".. ** _.If it tastes as good as it smells, you may need to do this_**...grill **_more_** ," Sefir spoke.

"Grilling, ** _is the action verb_**. **_Dean's better at it than I am, honestly. And man, you think his burgers are good now? Wait till he_** grills **_them. It's amazing_** ," Sam praised. " ** _Oh, by the way, these things here are_** shellfish, **_called_ **shrimp. **_They're one of the allergens on Earth. It's uncommon, but sometimes, people suffer a bad reaction to them. They start to itch, swell, and their throat closes off. If you ever see anyone reacting like that to this or any other food, get me as soon as possible, okay? It can be deadly_** ," he prompted.

Sefir tilted his head, staring at the skewers curiously. Slowly, his nose wrinkled. " ** _They look slimy_** ," he commented.

Sam couldn't help but laugh and shook his head. " ** _When raw, yeah, they are. When cooked, they're good. When grilled, even better. Oh, hey, would you go grab a couple of_** lemons **_for me_**?" At Sefir's blank look, Sam chuckled. " ** _Yellow fruit, in one of the bowls on the island counter...oh, and a knife, too, please_** ," he supplied.

Sefir nodded, heading inside. While Sam waited, he tilted his head, eyeing the steaks. He was going to go for medium well, though he knew his brother (were he awake) would turn up his nose at anything above medium. He wasn't sure if medium well would even be done enough for the angels, but he hoped so. It wasn't time to turn them just yet, however. Another minute or two, and he'd turn them. A minute beyond that, and he'd stick on the shrimp skewers and drizzle fresh lemon juice over them.

When Sefir came back out, Unti and Glips were with them. Sam chuckled as they paused, sniffing the air, wings and feathers twitching. Sefir made no such pause, bringing over a knife just big enough to cut through the lemons he also carried. He carefully handed the items over to Sam, and the Guardian shot him a grateful smile, setting them on the small table attached to the side of the grill, next to where the shrimp were patiently waiting their turn.

"... ** _We have not had this before. What is this?_** " Unti spoke, drawing closer.

"Steak. **_It's_ **beef, **_from_ **cows. **_This particular cut is a_** ribeye, **_one of the fattier cuts, but also very flavorful. And these are_** shrimp, **_a_** shellfish. **_They cook very quickly, so they'll go on right at the end_** ," Sam informed the angels with a warm smile.

" ** _It smells really good, Sam_** ," Glips said, drifting closer to the grill, nose pretty much twitching as she sniffed the air more and more.

Sam couldn't help but chuckle in response. " ** _Well, hopefully you all enjoy it. I had Gabriel make a type of salad to go with it, could a_ **Waldorf **_salad_**. **_It's fruit and nuts, really, but it's good. I think it'll wind up being a decent complement to the main dish of the meal_** ," he said. He turned his attention to the steaks, eyeing them over and giving a few a testing poke with the fork for a moment before starting to flip them all over. As the sizzle of raw meat on hot metal renewed and filled the air with a fresh wave of the grilled meat smile, Glips beamed, her wings fluttering quite a bit.

" ** _I really think I'm going to like this_** ," she cooed.

Sefir laughed. " ** _I admit, when he explained the concept of_ **grilling **_to me, I was very much in doubt that such a primitive form of cooking could be good. But if the smells are anything to go by_**...."

" ** _Yeah, I think it's gonna be good_** ," Unti finished for Sefir, giving a nod of agreement.

Sam smiled, feathers fluffing proudly.

" ** _Are you all done harassing my mate yet?_** " Gabriel's voice came. In an instant response, Sam sent a wave of fondness as he turned to glance at him with a soft smile. And a fair amount of teasing.

" ** _At least they're keeping their hands to themselves. More than I can say for you, half the time_** ," he shot back with a grin.

Amusement surged from Gabriel as he made a shocked expression, even throwing his wings up in mock offense. " ** _Kiddo! You wound me!_** " he replied, a hand over his heart dramatically.

That had all of them laughing. Sam turned back to the grill, giving a testing poke to a couple of the steaks. Getting close. He started putting the shrimp on quickly, before deftly slicing the lemons and squeezing the juice over the skewers, not worrying about the seeds that fell through the grates of the grill.

From the side of the grill, Glips noisily licked her lips. " ** _Soon, right?_** " she asked, eyeing the steaks and the shrimp.

Sam laughed lightly and nodded. " ** _Very soon, Glips. Here, instead of salivating all over our food, why don't you go set the table for all of us? And Unti...would you go see if Nariel thinks it's...safe for him to join us?_** " he asked, frowning a bit in concern. He wasn't sure he wanted Cas and Dean left alone, but he didn't want Nariel going hungry, or any of them having to abandon the meal and the companionship that came with it.

Glips nodded, as did Unti. Glips went in through the sliding glass door to get to work, but Unti took a step back, flying up to the roof where the ship sat to go see about Nariel. Sam picked up the tongs to flip the shrimp. " ** _Hey, Sefir, I need a clean baking sheet. They're in that drawer under the stove. Would you mind_** \--"

" ** _Not at all_** ," Sefir responded immediately, already heading for the door.

With the other **_Sentinel_ **gone, Gabriel stepped forward, sliding up against Sam's side and wrapping an arm around his waist. "It really does smell good, Sam. I think you're going to give everyone a new favorite meal tonight," he commented, warmth and love surging from him.

Sam took a second to kiss the top of Gabriel's head, humming softly. " ** _We'll see. I explained to Sefir already, because I'm a little concerned, but_ **shrimp, shellfish," he spoke, gesturing to the last of the skewers as he flipped them over. " ** _They're a common allergen on Earth. I didn't really think about it when I bought them, but now I'm worried somebody might wind up sensitive and suffering a reaction_** ," he admitted with a faint frown.

" ** _Mm...is it something you can heal?_** " Gabriel asked softly, though his displeasure at the thought of Sam having to do more healing than he'd already done today was coming through their connection.

Sam chuckled lightly and nodded. " ** _Yeah, it is, but it's not the same as healing a wound. In effect, it's almost the same as what I had to do with Dean earlier, but that...that was considerably more difficult than this would be. Still, because it's basically the body overreacting and turning in on itself, it's just...different. Still a wrongness, but not one as easily recognizable as a wound or other things_** ," he supplied.

In the next moment, Sefir was at his other side, holding out a large clean baking sheet. " ** _Thank you_** ," Sam spoke with a smile, then nodded at the dirty one. " ** _Would you take that one in and set it in the sink? You might want to wash your hands after, just in case it comes into contact with any bacteria that raw food can have. I'll be in in just a minute with the food_** ," he said. Sefir did little more than nod, picking up the dirty baking sheet and heading back in. Sam looked down at Gabriel, kissing his forehead. " ** _Go get the salad on the table, too, mate of mine_** ," he spoke warmly. Love surged strongly between the two of them, even as Gabriel pulled away to follow the directive. With that, Sam started to laden the clean baking sheet with the grilled food.

When he made his way inside, everyone was gathered in the dining area, save Dean and Cas. Seeing Nariel had deemed it safe enough to leave them had Sam relaxing quite a bit.

However, the room was not without tension. Most of the angels were eyeing Heturi warily. Sam frowned, sending a pulse of confusion and concern to Gabriel. There was a small hesitation, and then Gabriel was showing him a memory as Sam set the tray on the table. He'd shown him what happened in Dean and Cas' room, right after he'd passed out.

Annoyance and agitation flashed through Sam in equal measure. He felt his feathers ruffle with it, but he subtly shook his wings out, settling the feathers back down. He sent a wave of reassurance and love to Gabriel, even as he reached and picked up Heturi's plate. Everyone stilled, watching as Sam put a steak, a shrimp skewer, and a scoop of salad onto the plate and set it back in front of the ruddy winged angel.

Heturi frowned in confusion and distrust, looking back and forth between Sam and the plate in front of him. Sam didn't bother so much as looking at him as he continued on, serving each angel in the same manner, Gabriel second to last, and then himself very last.

When everyone had food in front of them, Sam looked around, then chuckled and looked at Glips. " ** _You have to eat steak with knives. Yes, sometimes they can be tender enough to cut with a fork, but it's far easier with a knife_** ," he informed her softly. All the same, she stuttered an apology, a blush staining her cheeks. " ** _Don't worry about it_** ," he said in response, heading into the kitchen. He grabbed up eleven steak knives, then moved back to the table. He set one down beside Heturi, who eyed it like it was covered in a topical poison, then moved on around the table until he reached his and Gabriel's seats on the other side, handing Gabriel's off to him as he sat down with his own.

No sooner was he seated than the angels started digging in. Save Heturi, who looked like the food might bite him, rather than the other way around.

" ** _Father and Mother!_** " Glips moaned around a mouthful of food.

Unti was nodding, already cutting a second bite of steak before he even swallowed the first.

Nariel was eyeing the skewer and pulling a shrimp off of it, tilting his head as Sefir explained what it was he was eating.

Meraya, on Sefir's other side, already had one in her mouth, and her eyes were lit up happily as she chewed.

Sam blinked and about choked on a bite of steak as a surge of pleasure flooded through him. He looked at Gabriel with wide eyes, managing to swallow what was in his mouth. "Do you need a room with that?" he spoke with a laugh.

"Mm...yes, I think so. This is almost better than chocolate, Sammy," Gabriel spoke around his mouthful.

"...Oh, God, I've broken you. How did I break you to the point that you think anything is better than chocolate?"

Gabriel just grinned, amusement pulsing from him.

He saw it, from the corner of his eye, when Heturi finally lifted his knife and cut off a piece of steak. He eyed it wearily, sniffing, before he put it in his mouth. Sam didn't look directly at him, instead looking down the length of the table to watch the others, but he didn't imagine the pleased ruffle of Heturi's feathers to the food.

Something in Sam relaxed a bit at that. He imagined it would take some time, perhaps a good bit more than it had with Sefir's crew, but he was pretty sure Heturi would come around eventually.

When dinner was done, Meraya, Glips, and Mefusa got up to help Sam with the clean up. There were a few steaks left over, and Sam was considering slicing them up and tossing them in a pan with some onions and peppers to make philly cheesesteaks for everyone for lunch tomorrow...if no one wind up eating them for a midnight snack, anyway.

"I'm going on up to the ship with Nariel, kiddo," Gabriel spoke, as Sam gathered up plates.

Sam blinked and looked up, then shot his mate a warm smile. "Alright, I'll be up in a bit. ...I did want Mefusa to show me the communications equipment anyway, and I'd like to make sure Dean and Cas are doing well, too," he said.

With a pulse of love shooting between them, Gabriel and Nariel headed to the elevator.

As they cleaned, Sam asked Mefusa about the communications equipment again, and the **_Sentinel_** , though full and about to go into a food coma, from the looks of him, agreed to head up with Sam and show him how things worked.

When everything was done in the dining room and kitchen, Glips practically danced over and hugged him. Sam blinked in surprise, having not really had any sort of affection from the other angels, but he returned it with a chuckle. " ** _That was awesome, Sam. Thank you_** ," Glips said, before wandering off before Sam could even tell her it hadn't been an issue.

With that, he and Mefusa headed for the elevator.

" ** _When we get up there, I want to take a couple of minutes to check on Cas and my brother, before we head to the bridge. ...If you don't mind?_** " Sam spoke as the elevator doors closed them in.

" ** _Of course not. I imagine you must be deeply concerned for both of them_**."

"... ** _I am. My healing ability grants me a sense of a person's well being, and I sensed that they were alright this morning, when all was said and done...but that was so many hours ago. And I don't doubt Nariel as a grace-healer, or the technology you all have brought here, but...I'd feel better if I could sense things out for my peace of mind_** ," Sam answered.

Mefusa stared at him, as if trying to analyze something, and Sam blinked, just meeting his gaze with open question on his face.

The elevator doors opened to the roof.

" ** _You are well suited to what you are...to being a Guardian_** ," Mefusa spoke suddenly. With nothing else, he stepped out of the elevator.

Sam blinked a few times at that, but he didn't know how to respond, so instead, he followed Mefusa out and across the roof to the ship.

They walked up the incline of the door and further in toward the medical station. Mefusa paused just inside of it, standing out of the way of the entry, and Sam continued on in. Gabriel was on a stool, centered between the two beds that Dean and Cas were laid out on. Cas looked a bit pale, much like Gabriel had when Sam had woken those couple of months ago. Dean was on his stomach, shirt removed, and the skin of his back was stretched taut. The nodules around his shoulder blades were much more defined now and Sam frowned. After he was done with the communications equipment, he'd come back and see if there was anything he could do to aid that process.

For now, he stepped toward Gabriel. Gabriel's worried eyes met his, and he felt it leaking through their connection, as it had been for the past several minutes. Sam offered a gentle smile and kissed his forehead, then moved over to Cas. He hovered his hand above him, pulling his energy forward.

Cas was tired, he could tell. Pure exhaustion was what had him gripped so tight in sleep. But he was healthier than Sam recalled Gabriel being back when this had happened to them. He supposed it had to do with Sam nearly dying when they'd done this. Dean obviously hadn't been anywhere near that with the two of them. With a short nod to himself, he moved his hand down over Cas' stomach.

Cas' wings twitched for a second, then settled. Hm...he wondered about that. But Cas wasn't rousing, and didn't seem distressed, so he focused on the fledgling growing inside...inside his brother's mate. He smirked a bit at that, but tilted his head.

The fledgling was no longer in pain, and seemed to be going strong, thriving. ...Though it could use some nutrition. Sam frowned, looking up to see Nariel watching curiously from a few feet away. " ** _Hey, Nariel? Do you guys have like a uhm...a supplement shot, or a...nutritional booster you could give Cas while he's out?_** " Sam asked.

Nariel blinked a couple of times and nodded slowly. " ** _Yes...but I've already given him two_**."

Sam pursed his lips, looking at Cas' face and slowly bringing his hand down. The instant he made contact, Cas' brow creased, but it was the only sign of discomfort. Sam shut his eyes, carefully feeling things out. ...There was nothing really wrong. Just...his body needed more. So did the baby's. Sam opened his eyes and pulled his hand away. "... ** _Give him another three? Please?_** " he requested. " ** _It's not that he couldn't do without them...but that he would do better with_** ," he informed.

Nariel considered for a moment, then nodded, turning and heading toward a storage shelf in the wall.

While he worked, Sam moved back over to Gabriel, pulling his energy forth again and settling his hand directly above Gabriel's stomach. He was going to wind up annoying his mate with how much he checked on the one growing in him, but he didn't want to risk missing something that was going wrong, not for even a second. At the moment, though, Gabriel was wholly unperturbed by the action, instead tilting his head up in a silent entreaty. Sam smiled warmly and kissed him, their lips moving together. Sam wanted to deepen it, to make it more...but he had other things to do. Assured of their child's well being, as well as Gabriel's, he pulled his energy away and slowly broke the kiss. "I'll be back in a little while," he promised. Gabriel smiled and nodded, looking over as Nariel moved to Cas' side.

With that, Sam turned to find Mefusa waiting patiently...but not without a faint look of longing to him. It was quickly hidden, but it concerned Sam. He didn't bring it up, though, instead gesturing out of the medical station. Mefusa nodded, leading the way out and down the corridors toward the bridge.

They walked onto it and Sam paused. He'd never actually been on the bridge, and his eyes darted about the room. There were seats mounted to the floor in front of large, wide panels with buttons, switches, and screens. The backs of the seats were low, but with a protrusion in the center just thick enough to support someone's back, but without trapping their wings. Strange metallic bindings (seat harnesses, he realized) were coming off of them.

In the center of the bridge were four seats, and Sam stepped forward slowly. One of those had to be Sefir's seat...but who all took the other three, he wondered.

" ** _Sam_**?" Mefusa's voice came, from near one of the stations near the front of the bridge. His tone was tight as he stared down at something there, and worry filled Sam as he moved over.

" ** _What is it? What's_** \--" he started, but he halted. Before now, he hadn't known he'd also be able to read Enochian...but he apparently could. And what was on that screen had both dread and rage surging through him. " ** _Mefusa...is that a beacon?_** " he asked quietly.

" ** _Yes. It's been active for several hours. Sam, I...none of us would've_** \--"

" ** _Someone did. The damage is done. I don't imagine that cutting it off now would make anything any better. ...Alright, let's just uh...set up a field, around the planet...can you do that? One that continually broadcasts a message on repeat?_** " Sam asked, looking at Mefusa.

Mefusa was frowning, clearly unhappy with the situation, but he slowly met Sam's eyes and nodded. " ** _I can. What do you want it to say?_** "

Sam gathered his thoughts for a moment, then relayed the message to Mefusa. " ** _You are welcome here, so long as you do not harm those that do not attempt to harm you. There is safety here, but there is also danger. If you mean no harm, if you seek safety, then reach out to us, and we will provide assistance. Do not land without telling us, without providing a location, so that we can ensure your safety. Please heed this warning. We do not want more of us harmed_** ," Sam spoke quietly.

Mefusa's fingers moved deftly over the panel as Sam spoke. Finally, he gave a short nod. " ** _The net's up. I'll bring down some transmitters and receivers in the morning. It'll be some time before that beacon reaches anyone, and longer still before anyone arrives_** ," he assured. Sam smiled his thanks, then moved and headed off the bridge.

He had a strong suspicion who'd activated that beacon. ...This was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exceedingly long chapter, I fink. I'm not sure. I wrote it in between lots of work today. ...Might be the only chapter for today, too. I sorry?  
> Also, I was legitimately not hungry when I wrote this, so I...I think my muse was, because there was a lot of thought put into that meal of theirs.


	46. Chapter 46

Gabriel looked up as Sam reentered the medical station, worry already pulsing from him.

Sam was possibly in the worst mood he'd felt out of him yet.

And despite the fact that he knew Sam could feel his worry, his concern, his mate did little more than offer him a tight smile and move to Dean's bed, eyeing his back.

Frowning, Gabriel huffed and allowed a sliver of annoyance forth. "Sam...what's going on?" he queried.

For several long moments, as Sam stood, looking over his brother's back, it seemed like Gabriel wasn't going to get an answer. But finally, he spoke.

"I believe that Heturi activated a beacon, Gabriel. Don't go off and confront him, please? I'm trying to consider how to have that conversation...if it should be me alone, the two of us...or all of us," Sam spoke quietly.

Gabriel felt...so much at all of that. Rage at Heturi for his actions. Fear and worry over what exactly that beacon would bring down on not only him and his family, but on this planet--his new home--as well. And resistance, to Sam trying to go off and talk to Heturi on his own.

Sam sighed, obviously feeling all of it, and looked up at Gabriel. The **_Sentinel_ **winced at the tiredness that was settled over his features, that he was just barely letting into their link.

"Please, Gabriel...let me be the one that decides on how to handle this? I know you don't like it, but...Sefir and his crew had agreed to not activating the beacon, understood why. And Heturi went against that decision, what had been my decision in the first place. So I want to be the one to handle this, and I need a bit of time to figure out just how to do that."

Gabriel frowned, allowing his reluctance forth as he turned his gaze to a nearby panel. Sam didn't press, able to read him so easily now, and knowing that Gabriel was thinking things over.

He didn't like the thought of Sam confronting Heturi on his own, and that Sam had said it was something he was considering, it was a strong possibility he would. But he knew that it was just that; one possibility. Sam was also considering bringing Gabriel into it, or all of them for the confrontation.

Huffing out a sigh, he felt feathers he hadn't noticed rucking in agitation settle. "Fine," he acquiesced lowly, looking back over at Sam. His mate didn't look up from where he now had his hands, glowing, hovering above his unconscious brother. A pulse of warmth and gratefulness showed that he'd been heard, though.

It was gone pretty quickly, though. Sam was focusing in on the newly made angel under his hands, a frown marring his beautiful features, wings twitching and then settling, concern and curiosity in equal measures flowing steadily from him.

His frown became a grimace, and he suddenly pushed his hands down into the center of Dean's back, on his spine.

Gabriel was in awe over what he witnessed next. He wasn't sure what Sam did, or how. What he noticed first, was that Sam's eyes were glowing; in the same shade of hazel that they bore, the irises shone, almost bright enough to put the light above them to shame. The energy around his hands pulsed in a noticeable manner as well. Not just once, but several times; Gabriel couldn't count just how many times. But with the final pulse? With the final pulse, wings breached Dean's skin, there and growing, becoming fully formed within the space of a minute.

While Sam's wings were much more Gabriel's speed, even the golden angel had to admit the beauty of Dean's wings. A gentle white, with each feather bearing a smattering of gold, like dust that had been sprinkled there. And, he thought to himself, they complemented Cassie's amazingly.

He heard an intake of breath then, and remembered they hadn't been alone. Nariel had been over at the desk in the room, apparently logging away everything he knew and had learned of what was going on with Sam, Gabriel, Dean, and Cassie.

Nariel was standing as Gabriel turned to look at him, wings high in surprise and amazement as he gaped at them. Gabriel couldn't help a cheeky grin. " ** _What can I say? My Sammy's amazing_** ," he bragged.

Nariel's eyes met his, then moved away, and a frown appeared on his face. " ** _I think your Sammy is about to pass out again,_** " he said.

Gabriel was barely aware of moving as he whirled back around, already standing, already moving around Dean's bed to Sam's side as he saw him wavering on his feet, hands now over his stomach.

"Sam?" Gabriel spoke, reaching out and grabbing onto his arm at the elbow.

"Okay...all okay. ...Want a bath, never got a shower earlier. Bath and bed, Gabe," he groaned quietly.

"Yeah...yeah, Sammy, come on, beloved," Gabriel spoke softly, gently coaxing his mate away from his brother's side. Sam shuffled along, eyes barely staying open. Gabriel was willing to bet that he'd be asleep halfway through the bath, and that he'd have to carry him to bed. ...But that was fine. He more than had the strength to do that, it was no strain on his body, despite Sam being a few pounds heavier and a good head taller.

As they boarded the elevator (after Sam almost fell down the incline of the ship's entrance), Gabriel looked up at him and softly pulsed love to him. "You're something else, you know? I don't know how you do these things, Sammy. ...Cassie told me, when we put two and two together about what you are, about you being a **_Guardian_** , that they were known for impossible feats. You're proving that true," he told him gently.

Sam swayed, quiet, but the acknowledgement that he'd heard Gabriel was there over their bond.

"Just...just trying to do what I can, just trying...trying to help," he finally answered, right as the doors opened one floor down from the roof, where their room was.

"And that makes you so much more amazing, Sam," Gabriel whispered back to him, leading him forward. As they neared the bathroom they preferred, where Sam had stored his toiletries, he hesitated. "...You think you can stay awake after the bath?" he questioned quietly.

Sam frowned, eyes going down to his feet as he considered. Finally, he sighed and nodded. "But we should make it a shower, instead. If I sink into a tub of hot water...there's no way," he muttered.

Gabriel let out a hum of understanding. "Will you be okay to start it up while I get us some clothes to change into for bed?"

Sam nodded a few seconds later. "Just...just boxer-briefs and pajama pants for me. Don't want to bother fightin' with a shirt," he murmured.

Gabriel chuckled lightly and nodded. "Go on, sweetheart. I'll be right there," he promised. With little more than a nod, Sam went on into the bathroom.

It took little more than a scant minute before Gabriel had clothes for the both of them and was slipping into the bathroom. Even so, Sam was already under the water, the scent of his shampoo beginning to fill the bathroom. Gabriel moved even more quickly than he had in retrieving the clothes, setting them to the side and stripping out of his pants, boxers, and scowling at the fastenings of his shirt. He wanted to get in there and show his mate the care he deserved, dammit!

When he finally was free of the shirt, he practically leapt into the shower. ...Sam had a cloth in his hand and was reaching for the soap. With a pulse of annoyance shot at him, Gabriel snatched away the cloth and grabbed up the soap. Sleepy amusement pulsed from Sam, but he didn't resist Gabriel soaping up the cloth and beginning a gentle scrubbing worship of Sam's skin.

From there, he allowed Sam to wash his own wings; Sam could handle his own touch just fine, but whenever Gabriel's hands were on his wings, in his feathers...it tended to rile him up, and Sam needed rest right then. And so, while Sam worked on washing his wings, Gabriel hurriedly washed his hair, body, and own wings as well. By the time Sam was done with his wings, they were both ready to rinse off.

They got out and grabbed towels from the linen closet, both drying off carefully and sopping up the extra water on the floor. They then dressed, Sam done before Gabriel, even though they'd both foregone shirts for the sake of sleep comfort.

Sam reached to Gabriel as soon as he was dressed, taking his hand. He smiled at him tiredly, and a sleepy wave of love flowed into Gabriel, making him feel lazy and sleepy as well.

"Alright, Sammy, c'mon. Let's get to bed," Gabriel said, leading the way out of the bathroom.

They slipped into their room and Sam let go of Gabriel's hand, moving around the bed to flop down on his side of it. These beds were big enough (unlike the ones at Tower had been) that their wings fit comfortably onto the mattress as well, so long as they didn't stretch them out obscenely. Sam had flopped onto his side, his wings threatening to spill over the side anyway, but he managed to keep them tucked close enough to keep that from happening.

Shutting and locking the door behind him, Gabriel considered him carefully, making sure he was comfortable. Then he turned out the light and made his way to his own side of the bed, crawling in and laying on his side facing Sam.

He'd thought Sam had been asleep as soon as he hit the bed, since his eyes had been closed. The huff his mate let out proved that to be an incorrect assumption, and Gabriel blinked as he was suddenly hauled bodily into Sam's chest. The taller angel nuzzled into his hair, a pulse of love spilling out of him. Then the connection went quiet, in a peaceful way, and Gabriel understood that now...now Sam was asleep. He smiled, nuzzling carefully against Sam's chest so as not to disturb him, before shutting his eyes and letting the world begin to sweep away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied...surprise second chapter for the day! Though, it's def shorter than the last one. Sorry? ...Not really. I'm happy I got another out! *GRIN*


	47. Chapter 47

When Sam woke, it was to the sound of rain pelting hard against the large, wide window behind the bed. Gabriel seemed to be waking slowly, against his chest, if the sleepy affection flooding forth was anything to judge by. Sam smiled, nuzzling the top of his head, slipping his own love and affection forth.

Though they had slept soundly through the night, barely waking at all, Sam found that with his rest had come a decision.

He didn't know if Mefusa had told the other angels about the beacon, though he suspected not. Either way, they would all find out at breakfast, and Heturi would be confronted about his part in it.

Nudging softly at Gabriel's forehead, he put forth a simple thought; he wanted Gabriel to take a seat on one side of Heturi at the table, and for himself to take the other, caging him in, but at the same time, keeping the others from reaching him.

With that, the last dregs of sleep fled the golden angel. "Mm...so all of us, then?" he questioned, sleep still in his voice even if not in his mind, as he tilted his head to look at Sam.

Sam gave a faint smile and a nod, taking a second to press a kiss to Gabriel's lips. "All of us. I want you to sit on the outside, I'll sit toward the inside, between him and the others. ...If he looks like he might become violent, back off, okay?" he spoke quietly.

Gabriel protested for a second, in his emotions, mouth opening. But it quickly clicked shut, understanding flooding him. It wasn't that Gabriel couldn't stop him, but that there was a chance of risk if Heturi went wild in an attack. He huffed a sigh and nodded. "Alright, alright. ...Do we have to get up now?" he pouted.

Sam chuckled, fond amusement flowing from him as he nodded. "Yes. The others will be up soon, and I should get breakfast ready for us all. Any preference there?" he asked, starting to withdraw from Gabriel's arms.

Gabriel pouted all he more as Sam moved, but he was also contemplative. "...Biscuits and gravy? ...And chocolate chip pancakes!" he chirped out, wings giving a light flutter as he began to move to get up.

Sam chuckled and nodded. "A bit of work, but not undoable, and certain to give us all enough to eat," he spoke in easy agreement as he moved to the dresser to find a shirt.

Gabriel followed his lead, and soon the two were leaving the room; they were hardly dressed for the day, still in pajama pants, but it was good enough for a lazy, rainy morning.

They took the stairs down and entered the wide open area of the first floor that led into the dining room (the kitchen, laundry room, and sliding glass doors beyond it) with the living area and its many seating options further off to their left. They weaved around the large tables of the dining room, making their way into the kitchen, no other sign of life present at the moment. Gabriel helped Sam in digging out the ingredients needed to get started, then stood back and to the side. Sam smiled, soft and warm, as his mate took to watching all he was doing. Sam made sure to keep himself at an angle so the angel could see all that Sam did as he worked.

Breakfast was almost ready by the time the others finally started making an appearance. Still sleepy, they said little more than quiet greetings, casting glances over the spread being prepared to be brought to the table, before taking up seats.

Surprisingly, Heturi hesitated in taking a seat, instead carefully prodding closer to the kitchen. Gabriel was openly staring at him, and though he showed nothing, Sam felt his anger spilling from him. He gently tried to soothe his mate as he finished piling biscuits onto a tray, turning to Heturi.

" ** _Would you take these to the table, please?_** " he asked gently.

Heturi looked relieved at the request, nodding silently and taking the platter, heading to set it down.

Gabriel frowned, confusion in their connection and on his face as he looked to Sam questioningly.

' _Mefusa said the beacon had been active for hours, Gabe. He either did it night before last, or that morning after you threatened him. He may regret it now that he's had a chance to cool down. It doesn't make it right, and we still need to confront him...but it may not be as bad as I was expecting. We'll see_ ,' Sam sent down their connection.

Gabriel pursed his lips in thought at that, gathering the two platters of pancakes. Acceptance trickled from him as he moved to the table. Sam gathered the stockpot that was nearly full of sausage gravy, hefting the heavy thing up and heading for the table with it. He hadn't noticed Gabriel grabbing the pot holders when he'd grabbed the pancakes, but there were two, sitting side by side on the table, waiting for him to set the pot on top of them when he got there.

Heturi was seated, watching the other angels grab biscuits and split them open with a faint curious frown; he hadn't even noticed Gabriel subtly taking the seat between him and the empty side of the table. He did notice, however, that Sam took the seat between him and the others, after setting down the pot. Sam turned to his startled expression and offered a kind smile. " ** _Biscuits and gravy, and chocolate chip pancakes. They're some favorites around here, for breakfast food_** ," he explained, looking up as the tray of biscuits were passed over. He grabbed a couple, dropping them onto his own plate, before passing them on to Heturi. " ** _Split them open, then ladle some gravy over the top, and eat 'em with a fork. I know it sounds odd, but it's good_** ," he spoke.

Heturi grabbed a couple of biscuits as well as he listened. He startled to the point of jumping in his seat, when Gabriel added in agreement, " ** _It really is_**." Heturi's head whipped around to Gabriel, and whatever expression he had, had Sam's mate smirking as he reached and took the platter out of the ruddy-winged angel's grip.

The gravy pot was carefully maneuvered and slid down the table as each angel got a ladle or two of gravy, the pancakes being passed around as well. Sam had turned to watch and blinked as Mefusa caught his eye. The stormy winged **_Sentinel_ **glanced past Sam (undoubtedly at Heturi), then back at Sam in question. Sam gave a short nod and a smile of reassurance. Mefusa looked a bit uncertain, but nodded in turn and settled into his seat, waiting for everyone to be ready to eat.

Minutes later, everyone had a healthy serving of food, and the syrup bottle was finally (after an unhealthy stream of the sticky substance from Gabriel) being set down. Everyone dug in, set off by some unknown signal. Sam ate a bit as well, giving them all a few moments to enjoy their food. Before any conversation could start, however, Sam interrupted the quiet. " ** _There's been a beacon activated from the ship_** ," he spoke.

At once, everyone stilled, eyes coming to rest on him. Sam set his fork down, turning to meet their gazes. When his eyes found Sefir's, the **_Sentinel_ **quickly glanced at Mefusa. When he received a nod of confirmation, he looked back at Sam. " ** _I...I did not order this_** ," he immediately spoke.

Sam chuckled and gave a short nod. " ** _I know_** ," he responded, sitting back in his seat and turning his head to Heturi.

The ruddy-red of his wings seemed to have darkened with the way they were sunk low in...in shame, maybe? He was otherwise unnaturally still, staring at his plate, fork hovering just above it.

" ** _It was Heturi_** ," Sam spoke, voice quiet. It was a statement of truth, but it held no accusation.

Heturi swallowed, winced as he swallowed again (probably having not chewed what was in his mouth enough to swallow it in the first place), then slowly looked up. Whatever he saw going on past Sam had him cringing back in his seat...but then he took notice of Sam's relaxed posture and expression. He frowned, confused, eyes looking over Sam's wings. Seeing not even a slight ruffle to the **_Guardian's_** feathers, he looked back at Sam, guilt and confusion reigning over his expression.

Sam sighed softly. " ** _Heturi, the decision to not activate the beacon, while brought up by me, was not rejected by anyone else. So in activating it, you didn't just go against my wishes, or Gabriel's, whom you see as a traitor to your--our--race...you went against the will of everyone in this room_** ," he spoke, just loud enough for everyone to hear. " ** _You had our trust...and now you don't. If you ever want it back, it's going to take quite a bit of effort. But you need to understand, Heturi. The reason I was against the beacon, that we all were, was not just the threat of our race on my planet, of the possibility they could come and try to wipe out the humans and take it over. It was also because of the danger to the lives of our people. If our people came and attacked this planet, it wouldn't just be villains, like those that attacked your ship, that would fight against them. It would be heroes, too. And humans. The entire planet would put up a fight, because humans do not just roll over and take it. They resist, they fight...they kill. ...You need to understand, Heturi, and I...I can't really emphasize this enough; while humans are not as powerful as angels, they are, in many ways, more vicious. It's happened more than once that a human has killed another over a simple pair of shoes, or spare bit of money that doesn't make a difference in the long run_** ," Sam spoke, trying his best to explain. " ** _It wasn't for the safety of one race over another. It was for the safety of all. All we can hope now is that, if and when anyone arrives, they pay heed to the warning Mefusa and I set up to broadcast around the planet, and that they'll contact us before doing anything else_** ," he finished.

During his little speech, Heturi's expression had morphed. Upset, distress, understanding and comprehension, horror and sickness, fear, and again understanding. And finally, not a small amount of guilt. He took a short breath and all-but-whispered, " ** _I'm sorry_**."

" ** _I know you are_** ," Sam assured, giving him a sad smile. " ** _But the damage is done; this is not something you can take back. So I expect you to help wherever you can, and without question. ...Are we clear?_** " he tacked on firmly.

Heturi nodded immediately. " ** _Yes, Guardian_**."

" ** _It's Sam. Enough of that Guardian nonsense. I may be something out of your legends, but don't treat me like that. It's uncomfortable_** ," he said, allowing his feathers to ruffle to express said discomfort. Heturi's eyes tracked the movement for a moment, then moved past Sam. He frowned, sinking further into his seat. Sam turned his head. More than one set of wings were raised in agitation, and some even had threatening displays. " ** _Guys...it's enough. What he's dealing with, the guilt and consequences of his actions? It's enough. So come on...all of you, settle down, and finish your breakfast_** ," he said.

There was little resistance, but it still took several moments for everyone to fully settle. ...Almost everyone. Even after they'd all resumed their meal, Sefir's wings were still high up in the air, threatening to touch the high ceiling. Sam sighed, swallowing another bite of food. " ** _Sefir...speak your mind_** ," he offered up, almost able to see that the leader was restraining himself verbally.

Sefir froze for a moment, frowning, then looked up at Sam. " ** _Sam...I don't understand. How can you be so passive about this? It is a betrayal! How can you just forgive him?_** " his tone bordering on demanding.

" ** _I haven't forgiven him, and I don't trust him. He'll have to earn both of those things, Sefir. But beating him down about this mistake, big as it is, is not going to help him in doing whatever needs to be done from this point on. Yes, he betrayed us...but look at him, and tell me his regret isn't obvious_** ," Sam spoke, pausing as Sefir's eyes cut to Heturi, critical and assessing. He heard Heturi shuffle a bit, but he kept his eyes on Sefir, trying not to smile at the love and adoration he felt flowing out of Gabriel. When Sefir met his eyes again, it was with a faint resignation, his wings finally beginning to settle

"... ** _We have much to learn yet, don't we?_** " the cream-winged angel spoke quietly.

Sam chuckled, smiling and giving a short nod. " ** _Now you're getting it_** ," he said, turning back to his food.

The meal was finished in quiet, and when done, all the angels moved to help with clean up. Heturi was given a small berth by most, but Glips was the one who made it easiest on him as he attempted to help out, actually speaking to him and explaining the magical device that was the dishwasher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guten Morgen~


	48. Chapter 48

Gabriel was amused, and Sam was annoyed by that amusement...but he was also resigned to this new fate. They had finished the clean up, and Jivi and Nariel had pinned his poor mate to the side of the stove, pretty much, starting to ask questions. It seemed they were working to document all that was going on, to provide concrete details about what a Guardian was...and how Sam was somehow one, and a dozen other things that Gabriel didn't bother to listen to.

No, instead, he found his attention drawn to a faint sound coming from the wall on the other side of the dining room. He frowned and stepped away from the kitchen, slowly approaching the sound. ...It was coming from the device (the phone, Gabriel, it's called a phone) on the wall there. It'd never made that sound before. Wings twitching, Gabriel grabbed it. When he lifted, it stopped. He stared, tilting his head. He knew picking it up connected him to Moon Queen...oh! Did that mean she could reach out to them the same way? He brought it quickly to his ear then. "Moon Queen?" he spoke.

"Oh, Gabriel...well, better than someone that doesn't speak English! Look, Argent's been checking in with me every morning, but...he didn't this morning, or yesterday. ...Is everything alright?" the woman's voice came.

Curiosity prodded at Gabriel from Sam, but Gabriel just sent back reassurance; he'd handle this, and Sam could handle his inquisition. "Uhm, yes? It is, it is. Just uh...well, Cassie and D--uh, Argent, they uh...they did what Chrysalis and I did, before the sun was even up yesterday morning."

"Oh. ...Shit. They okay?" she asked, frown in her voice.

"Yeah, they're alright. Actually, thanks to S... ** _fuck_** , uh, Chrysalis, they're doing real good. His healing ability is something else," Gabriel praised, chuckling at the curious poke his pride had gotten from Sam.

"Ain't that the truth. Chrys has always been something of a miracle worker. I can honestly and unequivocally say that he's the best healer in my list of contacts, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's the best one in the world. The way he heal is entirely unique," she said. Gabriel wondered about that. Cassie had tried to ask about it before, but it hadn't been an opportune time to discuss it then. "...Is he around? I could use some details from him, actually," Moon Queen's voice came again.

"Sorry, my Queen! He's currently being questioned by our doctor and uh...historian, I think's the word?" Gabriel spoke.

"Mm. ...Wait, why?"

Gabriel laughed, grinning at the wall. "Well, turns out Sa--Chrys' something special. Something only spoken of in old stories and long discounted as myth. As such, they're trying to document what they can, so it's known for future generations," he explained.

"Whoa. Wow. Wait, what about Argent? You said he and Castiel did the same thing, so--"

"We won't know till he's awake," Gabriel cut in gently. "Chrys did a lot to aid him through his process, but it might still be a day or so before he wakes."

"Mm, if that soon. I mean, I'm sure the circumstances are vastly different, but it did take Chrys a week to wake up after this. ...You know, I think I'm going to make a trip out there," she said suddenly. "...Yeah, yeah. Tell Chrys? I'll probably be bringing Meadow and Stag with me, too," Moon Queen said.

Gabriel blinked. "Uh...okay. Communication might be a little...strained, but I'm sure Chrys' be happy to see you. When you thinkin'?"

"Mm...this evening," she said, as though the decision was firming itself in her own mind. "See ya then, Gabe!" she spoke. There was a click and an unusual silence to the line.

"See you," he said, just in case she was still there, then put the phone back on the wall.

When he turned, he jumped back, bumping harshly into the wall, eyes wide as he stared up at Sam.

It pulled a laugh from his mate, amusement and a trickle of concern coming from him. "...You okay there, Gabe?" he asked.

"I'd be better if you weren't as sneaky as a **_hervil_**! Yeesh, kiddo, you're gonna give me a heart attack!" the golden angel complained.

Sam chuckled, then glanced at the phone. "...I caught part of that. Moon Queen's coming?"

Gabriel nodded, relaxing and easing away from the wall. "She said she might be bringing Meadow and Stag, too," he supplied.

Sam nodded. "Moon Queen can't fly on her own. Meadow and Stag, other than Dean and myself, are the ones she feels most comfortable requesting to fly her out somewhere," he supplied. "When did she say she'd be coming in?"

"This evening," Gabriel supplied. Sam groaned, but there was a fond amusement coming from him. Gabriel tilted his head in question.

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "That means she wants dinner. If Dean were up and about, it'd probably be burgers. Since it falls on me...well, I hope you guys like spicy. I'm gonna be making jambalaya," he said. When Gabriel only offered a confused frown, Sam smiled softly, taking a moment to gather thoughts.

And then Gabriel smelled scents he'd yet to experience on Earth. Definitely spicy ones, and wholly savory, too. It was indescribable. There was almost a hint of the taste on his tongue, as well as an image of shrimp, some kind of sausage, rice, peppers, onions.... "Hm...I think I might like it. But you know I love sweets more," he said with a grin.

Sam thought about that and nodded after a moment. "Alright, I'll make something special for dessert, too. And before you ask, yes, it'll be chocolatey," he said with a chuckle. It turned into a laugh when Gabriel's utter delight was felt. When it faded, though, Sam let out a short hum. "I'll need to go back to the store to get everything. I think I might take Glips with me this time. Do you wanna come, too?" he asked.

"Miss out on a trip into a store? Kiddo, not for the world!"

Sam chuckled lightly and nodded. "Go ahead and change, I'll go ask Glips about coming along, and then I'll be up to change into something more appropriate as well," he said.

Gabriel nodded and practically skipped toward the elevator. He felt a surge of fond amusement as he went and smirked to himself. ' _Oh be honest there, Sammy...you're totally checking out my ass as I go_ ,' he shot down their link.

A split second later, there was a faint pulse of arousal. ' _It is a nice ass_,' came back in amusement.

As the elevator doors shut behind him, Gabriel laughed aloud.

When Sam came into their room, almost ten minutes later, he was already pulsing with unease. Gabriel, sitting on the bed, shot him a concerned look. "What's going on, kiddo?" he asked quietly.

Sam rubbed at the back on his neck as he shut the door. "Well, pretty much everyone but Nariel and Mefusa are coming along. I went to ask Glips, Meraya overheard and asked to go, then Jivi caught on to the conversation, and it sort of...devolved from there. Everyone wants to go, wants to see...and I didn't quite feel like telling them no. I mean, sure their English is shit," he spoke as he changed out of pajama pants and into jeans, "but we can't keep them cooped up here forever. The flight and sights, and what little interactions they can manage...it'll all do them good, I think," he said.

"Mm...but you're still concerned about it," Gabriel said quietly.

Sam pulled out a fresh pair of socks, moving to sit by Gabriel as he put them on. "I am. What if we run into a villain, or a group of 'em? ...Though, given what I've found my sword can do, that might not be an issue. Still, I'm worried something's going to happen, I can't help it," he said with a sigh.

Gabriel blinked, tilting his head, sending a pulse of curiosity to Sam, along with an image of his flaming sword. Sam paused in putting on the second sock, then sent a memory back. _A space filled with people, a wave of the sword sending flames at each individual holding a weapon within a crowd, the flames burning those particular people, but not touching or even licking at the ones unarmed._ Gabriel's eyebrows shot up. "Wow," he murmured quietly.

"Mm, yeah. But I learned a long time ago that no matter what kind of juice you've got, something can always go wrong," Sam responded. There was pain and loss behind the statement and Gabriel carefully kept his curiosity to himself, instead leaning into Sam's side, brushing their wings together in support.

Fondness met his actions and Sam turned his head, kissing Gabriel's forehead. "Anyway...everyone's meeting us out front, so we oughta head on down," he said quietly.

Gabriel nodded as they stood in turn, moving to follow Sam out of the room. By the time they reached the elevator, Gabriel had realized something. "Wait, you said everyone but Mefusa and Nariel. ...Heturi's coming?" he spoke. He wasn't sure he liked that idea.

"Mm," Sam hummed in acknowledgement. "Sefir and Mefusa were against it...so even though it was probably a bit harsh on Heturi, I pointed out that him staying here, where he could access the ship, as well as get to Dean, Cas, and even Nariel, wasn't a good idea, and tacked on that he certainly wasn't going to learn and grow like the rest of them had if he was kept from having the same experiences as everyone else," he said with a shrug.

Gabriel stared up at Sam. Sam started blushing, feathers ruffling shyly and wings giving abortive gestures echoing that shyness, as he felt Gabriel's ever-growing love and wonder for his mate. Reigning himself in, Gabriel flooded their connection with teasing and amusement. "That flush is a pretty look for you, Sammy," he prodded.

"Shut up," Sam mumbled, but he was showing amusement now as well.

They made it to the ground floor to find it empty. Nearing the front entrance revealed why; everyone was outside, chatting quietly. Sam moved to get his shoes on first, leaving his house shoes by the door, and Gabriel followed suit before they both headed outside.

Conversation quickly dwindled to nothing as everyone looked at Sam. Though Gabriel could feel Sam's discomfort at the attention, he didn't falter underneath it. " ** _As I'm sure you've all guessed, there's some rules_** ," Sam began. " ** _You all have been here for a while, been studying text books...but you've yet to be taught anything about religion here. And you need to understand, before we head out, that on this world, angels are messengers of God, not alien beings. Quite literally, there are depictions of angels scattered through a few different theologies, but especially in the one called Christianity_**."

A gentle prod from Gabriel and Sam paused for him to add in, " ** _Not just of us, but there's descriptions of a few animals from our homeworld, too. It's weird, the things these humans have knowledge of, but it's all twisted up. They think a gilvelnet is something called a 'true form,' that an angel doesn't actually look anything like them, they just...shape shift, I guess_** ," he added on.

Curiosity pulsed from Sam at that; they'd never discussed this before, and Gabriel had a feeling Sam would want to know more. Later, of course, because now he was continuing on. " ** _As such, you guys are going to get strange looks. People are probably going to try and talk to you. If they do, direct them to me. ...Worse than this, though...humans can have a lack of boundaries when they're curious, and you might find people trying to grab at your wings. Keep them tight to your back, don't react aggressively, and tell them_ **No, **_firmly. Usually, they'll understand and back off, but not always. ...While we're in stores, if you're wanting to open something to look at it, ask me first. Some things are specially sealed for health reasons, so they don't become contaminated and cause the person that buys them to become sick. ...And if you want something, tell me. If I feel it's within reason, that there's ultimately a use for it, we'll get it. Finally...do not stray from the group if you can help it, and definitely don't wander off alone. Always have at least one other person with you_** ," he spoke. "... ** _Everyone clear?_** " he called out.

With echoes of agreement around them, Gabriel noted Nariel pressing a soft kiss to Sefir's lips and Mefusa already heading back inside their home. He looked to Sam, watching as he carefully glanced at each angel, as if to assure himself they were all ready. He glanced at Nariel briefly as the angel took off into the sky, heading for the roof and the ship. Then he glanced back to the group. " ** _Alright, we're going to fly to the store, which is a couple of hours away, to stretch our wings...but getting back, we're going to teleport. That way no one has to fight to carry everything we get with them. ...And we'll do that in groups of twos or threes. I don't know the extent of my ability with that yet, and I'm not risking any of you. As a final reminder, if you have any problems, come to me, or even to Gabriel. We both speak English, and we'll handle any issues that arise, or let you know what to do. Stay close, and if we're near a city, stay alert. Villains like cities, more opportunity to make trouble. ...Let's go_** ," he spoke, before lifting into the air. After a moment, he took to beating his wings and sailed upward.

Gabriel watched as the angels swiftly began to follow, himself being one of the last to leave the ground. He quickly caught up to Sam's side, shooting him a bright smile, happiness at the feeling of the air beneath his wings spilling from him. Sam shot him a fond smile, allowing the same emotion to dance between them for just a second.

After that, he was nothing but vigilant. He had told everyone to be alert around cities, but it seemed that Sam was being entirely alert regardless of their location as they all flew, one very colorful cloud high above the ground.

It was because of this alertness that, as they were nearing their destination, Sam paused, looking back as he hovered in the air. The other angels drew up short, following suit...and then following Sam's gaze.

Meraya and Heturi had dropped back, and their wings seemed to be straining. " ** _Not much farther guys! Another ten minutes, I promise_** ," he called out as they closed the gap.

Meraya practically sagged in the air with relief, but managed to keep herself up.

Heturi looked like he was about to plummet.

The two angels hadn't had a real chance to exercise their wings since they'd arrived, and the strain was showing on them both.

Sam's worry was pulsing out of him in waves, but it didn't show on him as he turned to continue once they were close enough. He took it slower, though, making sure the newest members of their group could keep up and not wind up separated.

They were barely beginning to descend when Meraya let out a startled noise. Gabriel turned to see Heturi falling, one of his wings curled awkwardly in a way that meant it'd seized and cramped up.

Sam let out a curse and started to move, but Sefir was there in the next instant, catching Heturi up quickly. It seemed that whatever issue Sefir had with the **_Nester_** , he wasn't willing to allow him to be harmed because of it.

The group continued their descent as Sam drew closer to Sefir and Heturi, reaching out glowing hands to the ruddy winged angel whose face was contorted in pain. They all landed in an empty section of the parking lot, starting to gather closer together now that they didn't need room to stretch their wings out for flight.

Heturi was panting lightly as his cramped wing trembled and started to loosen up.

" ** _Easy does it, man. ...Speak when you're coming up on your limits, okay? Getting yourself hurt isn't going to do anyone any good_** ," Sam admonished gently.

" ** _Mm_** ," Heturi let out quietly, seemingly accepting the order. Sam was still working, but Sefir was setting him on his feet, looking like he felt awkward to be holding Heturi in the first place.

Gabriel became aware of noises approaching them and looked up, frowning at what he saw. There was a small group of people practically running across the parking lot toward them. Behind them, there was some sort of tent set up at the front of the store, where other people were milling about, but almost everyone was looking their way.

Frowning, Gabriel stepped around their group to intercede, since Sam was distracted.

A woman, at the head of the group rushing toward them, drew up short, eyes wide and wild in a strange frenzied, almost hungry way. She was holding some weird device, and the man coming up on her right had something big and heavy sitting on his shoulder, his face almost entirely obscured by it. On her left, another man was starting to close in and slow down, with a huge stick held above his head, above everyone. It splintered near the end, another part of it bending down, and the very end of that piece was large and bulbous.

Gabriel had no clue what was going on, who they were, what they wanted, or what these strange things they held were. Still, he put on a dry, lazy facade, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow. "Can we help you?" he spoke flatly.

The woman absolutely beamed at him. "Becky Rosen, LMKP six-o-clock news!" she chirped brightly. "If you could just answer a few questions--"

" ** _You have got to be fucking kidding me_** ," Sam growled from behind Gabriel.

The woman--Becky--turned from Gabriel and halted. Gabriel turned and scowled to see Sam's wings gone. "Why did you--"

"Go away, Becky," Sam snarled, cutting him off.

"Sam! Hey, how's Dean?" she spoke. Gabriel snapped his attention back to the woman, decidedly not liking the breathy, playful quality her tone had suddenly taken.

Anger and strong discomfort was rolling off of Sam, and it took all Gabriel had not to make an aggressive display, between that and the woman's tone.

"Fine. So am I. Not that that's any of your business. I have a restraining order on you, or have you managed to forget that already?" he snapped.

Becky blinked a few times, looking lost for a second, and then she was frowning (re: pouting). "Well, then you should be the one to leave. Not only am I here covering an event at the store _for work_ , but I also have a chance to get the _scoop of a lifetime_ with...with, uh...the...angels? Anyway! I was here first! You leave!" she insisted.

Sam froze. He was still roiling with anger, but now there was a heavy uncertainty in him. All that showed on his face, though, was a determined rage with the blonde before them.

And then it suddenly settled. Oh, Sam was still angry, and there was a grimness about him now too, but he'd decided on something apparently.

"You want your scoop, Becky? ...I'll give it to you. I will. You may have been my stalker, but I know you well enough. You never turned violent, you were just super-obsessive and clingy," he said, ignoring her spluttering protests as he plunged on. "So tomorrow afternoon, I'll meet you back here. And I'll not only answer your questions...I'll give you information you wouldn't know to ask for," he said. When Becky gasped a second later, Gabriel glanced back to see Sam's wings in place once again.

Becky stared for several long seconds, frowning and seeming to war with herself. Finally she puffed out a frustrated breath. "Fine. Fine, Sam Winchester, but if you stand me up--"

"You know enough about me, Becky. Do you really think I would?"

She pouted quietly, but then nodded. "...See you tomorrow, Sam," she said, turning to the people with her and nodding back to the tent in front of the store. They moved away and Gabriel turned to Sam fully.

"...I have a feeling that's not going to be fun. And I don't like her. I'm coming with you," he spoke firmly.

The anger vanished entirely then, amusement taking its place. "Okay," he spoke lightly. There was a faint feeling of relief to Sam, too, and Gabriel was pretty sure he didn't want to be alone with that woman.

"What's a stalker, anyway?" Gabriel asked, tilting his head.

Sam blanched, but Glips was speaking up behind them. " ** _Is everything...safe?_** " she queried.

Sam turned to look over the group, allowing Gabriel a view of them as well, and the former human gave a small smile.

" ** _Yeah. Yeah, guys, sorry for keeping you out of the loop. Uh, Becky there...she's a reporter. ...A good one, actually. I--Gabe and I, we're going to come back and meet with her tomorrow, so she can do her job, and...well, let the world know about angels_** ," he explained. Seeing them all begin to settle, Sam smiled a bit more warmly at them. " ** _Alright...shopping time!_** " he announced, turning toward the store. He reached and took Gabriel's hand and the group followed the two of them into the store.

Sam didn't notice Becky eyeing their joined hands as they walked past, but Gabriel did, and shot her a sharp smirk. She startled when she saw it, flushing brightly and looking away. He tried to keep the smug satisfaction out of their connection, but Sam felt it anyway, looking at him as they reached the carts. " ** _What did you do...?_** " he spoke with cautious curiosity. They released one another's hands, both grabbing carts, just in case they filled up the first one.

" ** _Wha...who me? Nothing. Nothing at all, my sweet Sammy_** ," Gabriel responded with a bright smile.

There was a lance of annoyance, but it was gone in a flash, and Sam rolled his eyes as they continued on their way through the next set of doors and into the store.

Despite Sam's rules, things were getting dropped into Gabriel's cart left and right, while Sam put things he needed into his own cart. Amusement would pulse out of Gabriel with every little thing the angels were picking up, and Sam, while amused, just shook his head as he felt it, not bothering to look back.

And then they got to the aisle that held baking items and spices. Glips opened a spice bottle, frowning at the little white seal under the lid, peeling it away and sniffing. And promptly sneezing into it. That had Sam looking back. Amusement and annoyance in equal measure surged from him as he groaned. " ** _Dammit, Glips...alright, guys, new rule. You open it, put it into a cart. Especially if you sneeze into it_**," he spoke.

Glips had the good sense to look ashamed as she closed the spice jar, meekly dropping it into Gabriel's cart.

Many spices followed after that, from all angels as they passed them around, sniffing at them. Despite that some of them had already been grabbed by their group, Sam managed to snag the ones he apparently needed from around them, before he went on to the baking stuff.

Hesitantly, the group followed, no one willing to dwell too much and wind up separated somehow.

It was Heturi that grabbed the brown container from the top shelf, labeled Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, and opened it, pulling back the seal. Gabriel glanced over as he sniffed it, eyes seeming to light up a bit. Though he'd yet to have chocolate, he seemed to like the smell of it. He went to pinch a bit of the powder, probably to taste...and while it probably would've been absolutely hilarious, Gabriel decided to have mercy and speak up. " ** _Don't. It's not sweetened, Heturi. And while I haven't had it like that, I don't think_** \--"

" ** _Unsweetened chocolate is very bitter_** ," Sam cut in, having turned to see what was going on. " ** _You don't want to taste that. But don't worry, I'm making something chocolatey for us tonight_** ," he spoke, turning back to the bags in front of himself. When they finally moved ahead, Heturi having deposited the now-closed container into his cart, Gabriel saw that Sam had grabbed several bags of chocolate chips. His wings fluttered excitedly, and as it pulsed from him, amusement and love surged back to meet him.

...How in the ever loving hells had he gotten so lucky? He'd fled his homeworld, certain that he and Cassie would wind up dead despite his best efforts...but now he was here, had a mate, someone who he could feel loved him dearly...and soon there would be four fledglings running around. Plus Cassie's little boy, too. Keeping his complete happiness from the bond was an impossibility...but thankfully, Sam decided not to question it, just to brush his own happiness back against him.

By the time they left the store, both carts were obscenely full. All of Gabriel's cart was items the angels had grabbed at willy-nilly. About a third of Sam's cart was the same.

Standing at the front of the store, carefully trying to stay out of the way of the humans, Sam eyed the carts and the angels alike. Finally, he nodded to himself. " ** _Heturi, grab onto that cart_** ," he instructed. When the **_Nester_ **had, Sam took Gabriel's hand, then placed a hand on Heturi's shoulder. " ** _Stay together, I'll be back in seconds_** ," he told the others.

Gabriel gave a short smile to everyone, and then a brief wrenching sensation had them in the dining area, near to the kitchen. Sam pecked his cheek, pulling away, and then he was gone. In rapid succession, he brought back everyone in groups of two, until the last group was there, with the remaining cart.

"... ** _That was quite uncomfortable. I'm not sure I liked it. But I will admit, it's handy_** ," Sefir spoke as they began to mill about to put things up, Sam guiding them when they weren't sure where to put what.

Sam chuckled and shrugged. " ** _Yeah, it is. Kinda makes me feel lazy, but getting things back this way is easier_** ," he supplied.

They had everything put away with half an hour, and Sam vanished to take the carts back. As he did, Sefir made for the elevator, the rest of the angels heading to linger in the living room. Though he seemed hesitant, Heturi joined them, and his relief at not being pushed away when he sat down was evident in the set of his wings.

Once Sam was back, he gave Gabriel a soft, warm kiss, then ducked toward the fridge, eyeing the contents. He grinned at whatever he found, and Gabriel tilted his head, allowing a pulse of curiousness. Sam looked up and showed him something that looked absolutely delicious, the memory of the scent of meat, cheese, and onions almost enough to make him salivate. "No one touched the leftover steaks," Sam spoke in explanation. "We're having philly cheesesteaks for lunch; there's just enough to make one for everyone. Think I'll get started after I check in with Dean and Cas," he said.

Gabriel smiled and moved over as Sam shut the fridge, nuzzling into his side for a moment. "...After _we_ check on 'em," he amended, basking in the warm emotions that roiled between them for just a second before they headed for the elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V. long chapper, I fink. My muse was pinging for this one. So many things~~  
> No more chapters for today, though, guys. Grocery shopping after work. I'm kinda excited about that, too. I'm getting the stuff to make tacos! Not for tonight, but for tomorrow night...not enough time to grocery shop and cook them tonight. But I've been craving tacos in a major way over the past coupla weeks, despite already having had them once. I 'cited.  
> Also...I love y'all. I ain't gonna lie, anna's my favorite, but I absolutely adore all my readers, and especially my commenters. Thank you <3


	49. Chapter 49

As they entered the medical station, Sam a step ahead of Gabriel, the golden angel spilled forth a pleased happiness in seeing Cas sitting up and speaking to Nariel.

Sam, however, frowned in worry, seeing their expressions, as well as Castiel carefully cradling his barely-there bump.

Gabriel's happy, "Cassie!" was easily masked by Sam speaking out a quick, " ** _What's wrong?_** " as he moved forward quickly, energy already spilling into his hands.

Nariel blinked, looking up at him, as did Cas. " ** _Nothing, really_** ," the grace-healer spoke. At this point, Sam was close enough to feel out Cas' little flame (no longer a flicker, but a small flame) for himself. He was frowning in confusion as he felt nothing wrong, and his eyes met Cas'. Cas looked confused as well, and Nariel spoke again. " ** _Castiel says that you indicated the fledgling was male. But all my scans, all my devices that have the ability to determine sex, say that he's carrying a female_** ," he explained.

Sam looked up at Nariel at that and blinked, just the once, and it clicked. " ** _Oh. Well, sex is not always indicative of gender. Not for humans, anyway. Is_**..."

" ** _Sammy? What do you mean?_** " he heard from behind him. Sam glanced back at Gabriel drawing up at the foot of the bed, confusion spilling out of him in great waves.

Sam frowned then sighed. " ** _I'm going to go out on a limb and say this is another difference in our...in our originating species_** ," he began, pulling back from Cas slightly and reaching over, pulling a stool over and sitting down. " ** _Okay, so...I don't know enough to fully explain this, but I'll do my best, and I'll offer my theories and speculations here as well._** " He took a moment to pull in a breath. " ** _I've felt it before, though it's a bit more difficult with adults, and I usually only feel it if I'm having to heal something massive on them. Times when their--their soul, uh...didn't match their body. It's not the most common thing, so it's rare to feel it at all. I've even felt one person, just...just one, where neither gender fit them. Humans, we call it, uh...a couple of different names. Transgender, non-binary_** ," he offered up, biting his lip in thought. " ** _Anyway, and I'm speculating on this part...sometimes life experiences change a soul, make it the opposing gender of the body. But from what I know, very often a person is born that way. ...And unfortunately, they suffer for it. Human society can be endlessly cruel to people that they don't feel fit into what they're supposed to be_** ," he added, a bit quiet. His eyes went to Cas' stomach, then up to his concerned expression. Next, he looked to Gabriel. Gabriel was radiating surprise, but also concern, his eyes on Cas' stomach as well. When a faint tendril of protectiveness started to rise, Sam smiled softly, but it slipped from his face as he turned his gaze on to Nariel, assessing.

The grace-healer was frowning in confusion. " ** _I...how is that possible?_** "

" ** _It's like breathing, existing...like two plus two equals four. It just is, Nariel. Now...now I need to know what we're going to expect here. From you, from the others...from anyone else that shows up_**," Sam responded, keeping his tone carefully light.

Nariel's eyes went down to the tablet-like device he held, looking it over with a frown. It took a couple of minutes, but he finally looked up at Sam and shook his head and gave a shrug. " ** _I do not know. I cannot begin to guess the reactions of anyone else. ...But...but for me_**..." he continued, looking back down at what was on his screen. It took another moment for him to finish. "... ** _I'm a grace-healer, and I'm curious about this, because it is beyond my understanding. But how could I claim to be even the slightest bit decent in my occupation if I were to reject a person for the circumstances of their birth, of their very being?_** "

Sam gave Nariel a tight smile. " ** _I wish all human doctors were like you, Nariel_** ," he said quietly.

That had Nariel's eyes going wide, his feathers rucking in agitation, and wings lifting in a startled sort of horror. "... ** _Do I want to know?_** " he all but breathed, that horror showing in his voice.

Sam shook his head in answer, finally turning his attention back to Cas. The poor pregnant Nester looked lost. It took a moment before he realized Sam's gaze was on him, but when he did, he shot him a concerned look. " ** _How...how do I raise...her, him? I_**..."

" ** _The best that you can, Cas. You're probably better equipped to it than you know. It helps that our race isn't confined by the same things as humans. In human society, females are the only ones that can bear children, that go through menstruation. Because of that...well, whether you're female in a male body, or male in a female body, you suffer for it. Sure, the world is a lot more aware and accepting in these days, but there's always people out there that just can't accept things below the surface, beyond what they can see. ...For now, just...be open. If he wants something that goes against what you would think is normal, accept it, help with it...and when he's ready to tell you that his body's all wrong, listen and let him know you love him anyway, alright?_** "

Cas nodded slowly, seeming to relax a bit. Then he glanced over at Dean's still-unconscious form, behind Sam. Sam smiled and shook his head. " ** _Dean's gonna spoil him, either way. Sure, it'll take a bit of adjusting for him, because he'll see a little princess, but know he's actually a prince, and his mind will war with him over that...but Dean isn't one to judge, and definitely won't reject his own child for something they can't help_** ," Sam assured softly.

Cas nodded again, to indicate he'd heard Sam, but he looked to be in thought, so Sam waited. After a couple of long moments, he finally looked at the Guardian. " ** _Can you...make it so that he has a body that matches who he is?_** " he asked quietly.

Sam winced and shook his head. " ** _I'm sorry, I can't. I can feel souls, when they're young, or if I have to heal a body deeply enough, but if the body itself is able to sustain life, there's nothing to be done about it. ...Humans do have procedures they undergo, but...but in order to adapt those for an angel, I imagine it would require an exchange of information between the races that may make all parties uncomfortable_** ," he said with a small shrug.

Castiel frowned and nodded. "... ** _Well, we'll see what solutions time provides. ...I cannot imagine what it feels like to be a stranger in your own body. I don't want that for my...my son_** ," he said quietly.

Sam smiled warmly, reaching over and giving Cas' free hand, the one not cradling his stomach, a gentle squeeze. " ** _You're gonna be a great parent, Cas_** ," he said softly.

Gabriel was giving off soft slivers of curiosity and concern, and even stronger ones of protectiveness. Sam glanced over, shooting him a warm smile and a strong wave of love. His mate practically preened under that and Sam chuckled for a second, then blinked, turning his head a bit more before releasing Cas' hand and turning fully to the side.

" ** _So...how much of that you catch?_** " he spoke. There was a faint sense of confusion out of Gabriel, but it was soon covered with surprise and understanding.

" ** _Not too much, but I reckon just enough_** ," Dean's groggy voice came. He shifted, wings a bit limp for a moment as he pushed himself up on his hands, then back onto his knees. His eyes went to the wings and his brows went up. Sam easily caught Cas as he scrambled off his own bed and nearly fell in his haste to get to Dean. Dean's eyes first went to him, a faint soft smile gracing his features as he shifted around until he could drop from the bed to stand. He and Cas came together just to Sam's left, holding one another close. " ** _How long was I out?_** " Dean asked, looking at Sam for the answer, over Cas' shoulder.

" ** _About a day and a half. Cas just woke up a bit ago, I think. Gabriel and I came up to check in after an excursion with the others_** ," Sam supplied.

Dean blinked, frowning in confusion as he drew back from Cas, looking at his own wings. They twitched and fluttered in aborted movements as he worked out how to move them. "... ** _A day and a half? ...Sam. What did you do?_** " he spoke, tone flat as he looked back at the younger brother.

Sam shot him a flat, dry look that bordered on a bitch face. " ** _Nothing that didn't take about...uh...almost the same amount of sleep you had?_** " he spoke, wincing a bit at that realization. He shrugged it off and huffed. " ** _Look, did you really want to be out for a week? I mean, yeah, the circumstances for Gabe and me were different, but I'm willing to bet you'd have been out almost as long_** ," he pointed out.

Dean gave a scowl, but Sam could see it was more turned inward than directed at Sam...which meant Dean was agreeing with Sam's assessment and didn't like the idea of being unconscious that long.

And that was when Sam noticed Castiel's hand reaching up, fingers twitching a bit. He quickly jumped off the stool, catching his wrist as gently as he could before Cas could touch Dean's new wings. " ** _Ah...I'd wait till you two are alone, Cas_** ," he said quietly, flushing a bit as he recalled just how sensitive his own were, and still are. " ** _If I'm right, Dean's wings are gonna be a bit sensitive for a while, and uh...you can explore 'em later, alright?_** " he intoned gently.

Cas frowned, tilting his head in confusion, but nodded slowly, and Sam let him go.

"... ** _Alright. Lunch time! I'm making philly cheesesteaks. Oh, and Moon Queen, Meadow, and Stag are gonna be by for dinner. I'll be making jambalaya for that_** ," Sam spoke, moving to head out of the medical station, and further, the ship. Gabriel followed quickly, having been pulsing amusement since Sam had stopped Cas from burying fingers into Dean's wings. Sam merely shook his head at it, fond amusement from him making its way to Gabriel as he blindly reached back. Within a second, he felt his mate's fingers entwining with his as they led Dean, Cas, and Nariel down into the compound.

Gabriel and Cas went on out onto the patio once they reached the main floor, and Dean moved to the kitchen, peering into the fridge and frowning. "...No beer? How are you supposed to make--"

"Not everything needs to be drenched in booze, Dean," Sam shot back immediately. The way Dean made phillies differed from the way Sam did it, in that he liked to pour a stout over the cooking meat, onions, and peppers and simmer it until it was a thick sauce. It was good, yes, but Sam preferred it sans the beer-sauce.

Dean huffed and shrugged, moving to lean back against the island counter and give Sam room to work. Sam shot him a grateful smile for his lack of protest, and started to pull out the left over steaks, peppers, cheese, and butter from the fridge. He then went to the pantry to get out onions and hoagie rolls, before pulling out a knife and cutting board, getting to work.

Silence reigned for a moment as Sam began, but Dean wasn't one to be so completely idle. And since he had nothing much to do for the moment, he went for talk.

"Alright...so what've I missed?" he asked.

Sam blinked, pausing for a moment, then chuckled lowly. "Oh, you're not gonna be happy," he warned. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Dean's wings twitch.

"...Fuck, that feels weird. Anyway...just spill it Sam. What's happened?"

Sam paused again, before resuming his slicing of the onion. "Well...for starters, a beacon was activated. We don't have any idea how long, but there's a high probability that the surviving angels from their planet are going to be showing up sometime in the future."

"Oh, for fuck's...who the fuck did it?!" Dean snarled.

Sam stopped and shot him bitch face number 196. "I've dealt with it, Dean. He regrets what he did, and he's trying to earn his forgiveness and our trust back, alright? He didn't really understand why we decided against sending out a beacon in the first place, and he made an impetuous decision. So you will not treat him like less than dirt beneath your shoe. Got it?" he challenged.

Dean's wings shook, feathers rucking high, and he was scowling, both at Sam and the new sensations. "Like hell! This is--"

"This is their planet now, too, Dean. This is their home now, too. And he made a mistake, and he's trying his best to make amends, because there's no correcting it. I'm not telling you anything until you agree not to go ballistic," Sam cut in firmly.

Dean's eyes were a storm of dark emotions, jaw ticking as he clenched it tight, hands gripped tight into fists. Sam turned from his gaze, going back to his task while he waited for his brother to cool down.

By the time Dean did, Sam was starting to fry up the peppers and onions in a large skillet.

"Alright. Alright, fine, Sammy. ...You're right. Do you ever get tired of that?" he muttered petulantly.

Sam turned and shot him a broad smirk. "Nope!"

"Bitch."

Sam shrugged. "Jerk," he shot back lazily.

Dean huffed and sighed, but he wasn't showing any aggression...not in his face, the lines of his shoulders, or in his wings.

"So who was it?"

"Heturi," Sam answered, turning back to the stove.

Dean was quiet for a few moments after that. Then he prompted, "Anything else?"

Sam's feathers ruffled, in agitation, in discomfort...in preparation for Dean's ire. His shoulders hunched a bit, too, echoing the discomfort.

"Ah, fuck, what'd you do?" Dean groaned.

"I--!" he began to object, then huffed out a sigh. "I agreed to an interview?" he ventured.

"Uh huh. Okay. That's not it, because that's not that bad."

"...Uhm..." Sam started, licking his lips, eyes on the skillet below him as he considered which thing he said next would be the one Dean would react worse to. "...I'm going to spill...everything. Like...Chrysalis and Argent, everything?" he offered weakly.

The silence was tense and Sam, though he knew his brother would never do him real physical harm, shuffled a bit to the side and away from him. Sam moved the skillet to a back burner to keep the food warm while he pulled out another and dropped a pat of butter into it to start toasting the hoagie rolls with. And he waited.

The tension didn't leave the room, but Dean apparently wasn't arguing against it. He'd obviously thought about it and came to the same conclusions Sam had; they had no surviving family, just each other, and their friends were mostly heroes, carefully hidden from being able to be traced back to them. Plus, humans needed to know what could happen if angels showed up en masse; they needed to realize that if they interacted with the right one, they could wind up changing species themselves. Honestly, Sam was pretty sure that was going to cause hysteria, but better the public be aware now and possibly beginning to accept the possibility, before ships started arriving and it wound up happening without any warning.

"...And?" Dean finally spoke, by the time Sam was halfway through toasting the rolls.

"...The reporter is, uh..."

"Tell me it's not who I think it is," Dean spoke, his voice held together tightly with barely-there patience.

"...Becky," Sam sighed in confirmation.

"Mother fucker. Are you insane?? She fucking _stalked_ you, Sam!"

"Dean, please calm down. You've got to remember that she never escalated, and as soon as I had that restraining order, she understood I really meant No. She backed off then. That I even ran into her was completely coincidental. And...she's tenacious, when it comes to her career. I knew she wasn't going to back down, so I agreed to meet her for an interview," Sam spoke. Gabriel was obviously busy with Cas, because he wasn't even prodding at Sam to try and figure out what was going on to have his emotions shifting into their current decidedly-not-good state.

Dean was quiet for a long moment, apparently actually trying to do as Sam requested, to calm down. And then... "You're not going alone."

Sam frowned, knowing Dean couldn't see it, but shrugged and nodded, keeping his tone light as he responded. "No, I know, Gabriel said he was going with me."

"Sam, I'm--"

"No you aren't, Dean," Sam cut in, turning to look at his brother, his expression one of challenge. "Look, I wouldn't object, but do you really want to bring Cas--who is not going to let you leave him behind--with you? Do you really want your pregnant **_mate_ **around Becky's brand of crazy?"

"Fucking hell, Sam, might as well, since you and Gabe are both pr...wait a second," Dean spoke, his feathers fluffing higher and higher. "...Wait a second, I understood that," he said confusedly.

Sam blinked, then slowly raised an eyebrow, barely managing to keep a teasing grin off his face. "Yes. Yes, you did. Just like you understood everything we said up on the ship," he said.

Dean stared at him blankly for just a second longer before his eyes went wide. Sam laughed, shaking his head and moving to lay the last toasted hoagie roll on a plate, moving the meat mixture back onto the flame to make it good and hot while he put the cheese on the rolls. He wanted the cheese to melt well under the heat of the meat, onions, and peppers.

In his peripheral, he saw Dean's mouth open, shut, open again, shut again. And finally, "Well, sonuvabitch," he murmured quietly.

Sam smirked a bit at that, then blinked as he felt a pulse of fond amusement. He looked toward the sliding glass doors to see Gabriel and Cas already more than halfway to them from the entrance. "Wow, Sammy...that smells really good!" his mate spoke, starting to approach the stove, eyes looking at the skillet with interest.

Deciding on being impish, Sam grinned theatrically, lifting his chin. "Well, of course. I made it," he said with a strong proud sort-of-tone.

Amusement hit him in a solid bright wave as Gabriel's head tilted back, laughter spilling from him. Sam stilled, his smile becoming soft and fond, and he didn't bother to even try and curb the love that spilled outta him at the sight and sound.

Dean was chuckling a bit as well at Sam's performance, but when Sam finally tore his eyes away from his love, he saw his brother was giving Cas a soft, loving smile. Considering for a moment, Sam moved to start spooning the meat mixture onto the sandwiches. "After lunch, we need to see if you two have the same psychic connection Gabe and I have. ...And then we need to see if you, Dean, manifest a blade...or a sword," he announced gently.

Dean made an intrigued noise at that, and when Sam tilted his head enough to see him in his peripherary, Dean was looking at his hands, held in front of him. He'd pulled forth his energy and frowning faintly.

"Lemme guess; feels different?" he spoke.

"...I was gonna go with _weird_ ," Dean answered, allowing his energy to drop. "...Just like the wings. How do ya cope? The extra...I dunno, baggage? It's so--"

"I always did adapt more quickly than you, Dean. Just give it...I guess a week? It'll be comfortable then, I'm sure," Sam responded. He then looked over at him and smirked. "Go gather everyone for lunch, would ya? Before it starts to get cold?"

Dean nodded and headed off, and Sam turned to Cas and Gabe. "Help me get these to the table, please?" he requested of them.

"Of course," Cas murmured, Gabriel chirping out a, "Sure thing, kiddo!"

By the time all the plates were on the table, the whole of the compound was seated in their typical spots. Conversations went back and forth, but nothing Sam really paid attention to. He was busy considering how to help Dean and Castiel access their own psychic connection, assuming they had one just as he and Gabriel did. He was also wondering if Dean was going to be **_Guardian_ **as well. And if he was, did that mean any human that wound up becoming an angel would wind up also being a **_Guardian_**?

When he got a gentle, curious prod from Gabriel, he relayed his train of thought silently.

For a moment, there was a stillness in their connection, then fondness and love, as well as a bright feeling that Sam wasn't sure he could identify.

' _Father and Mother, kiddo. How'd I wind up this lucky?_ ' Gabriel sent back to him.

Sam blinked a couple of times, looking over at him. "What do you mean?" he asked aloud.

Gabriel tilted his head and gave a soft, slightly sad smile.

Memory-sharing between them was ever-easier, it seemed. And it didn't sweep Sam under like it almost had the first few times.

_A strange determined panic thrummed in his veins as he launched the ship. Cassie was barely strapped into his seat, and Gabriel hadn't wasted the time to do up his own harness. There were blasts outside the ship as he flew it deftly, gripping the manual steering controller tightly, gritting his teeth. It seemed like minutes, but it was only seconds before they were out of the atmosphere and hurtling through space._

_There. That star, that was the one. It wasn't fully stable, and if he dove into it, it'd shoot them further away. Cassie had already voiced his protests at this, and was about to launch another one. So Gabriel rolled his eyes and accelerated to cut him off._

_Hydroponics went down first. Then the mess hall, and Gabriel caught on that something was seriously wrong. Dread punched into his stomach. He'd known getting away had been too easy; there hadn't been any actual pursuit!!_

_"Cassie, scan the nearby planets. Find us somewhere to land," he ordered, doing his best to keep his voice even._

_"Brother, we should--"_

_"Do it, Cassie," he ordered again. This time his baby brother listened._

_There was a snap of bone, but Gabriel saw it. It wasn't of a bone breaking...it was of a bone being set in place. He had watched as the upper ridge of Cassie's left wing had moved, seemingly of its own accord, and snapped back into place. There were feathers dropping from his wings, but they were all broken and unable to be healed. Muscle was being repaired from where it'd been torn in half, open and exposed to the world._

_Chrysalis was there, eyes closed as he savored something in a cup that was raised to his lips._

_Something about that moment was...he didn't know. He couldn't explain it. Ethereal, maybe? That was the closest he could get to it._

_But it was broken as Chrysalis pulled the cup away, his eyes opening. Those hazel depths locked onto Gabriel within seconds, and they just stared at one another for...seconds? Minutes? Eternities?_

_Gabriel ducked a fist. He was tired, but this...this was enjoyable. This sparring, as Chrysalis had called it. ...Especially since it meant being able to reach out and touch the human._

_With that thought, he found himself thinking of how he'd managed to pin Chrys in the clearing earlier._

_So distracted was he that his breath nearly punched out of him when he suddenly found himself being pinned bodily to the wooden floor._

_They're sharing air then, and Chrys was just above him, those beautiful hazel hues watching him. It was probably stupid, but Gabriel felt a surge of arousal at it all; their position, the mixed breath between them coming in soft pants. He was the one pinned, but...he couldn't help but feel like he was exactly where he wanted to be. And he smirked._

_Chrys' eyes fell to his lips as soon as his lips had moved. There was annoyance...and something hot that Gabriel wanted to crawl into. And then their lips met, and sweet Father help him...everything in his life came together in that very moment, and he wanted it to never end._

Memory after memory filled Sam, but almost every one of them from that point showed him interactions between Gabriel and himself, or of Sam doing something that had apparently had an impression on Gabriel.

It was mere minutes, with how quickly their minds moved, but it ended with Gabriel relaying the thoughts that Sam had shared just moments before, and Gabriel's love of how sharp he felt Sam's mind was. Sam flushed then, swallowing the bite he'd just taken before he'd even chewed it. He nearly choked because of that, but managing another swallow to get it to go down.

'... _Just...when I left, I never expected...this. You. And I can't believe I have_...'

' _Well, you do, Gabriel. You have me. You have our brothers. Our children, our nephew. And a home_ ,' Sam sent back gently, ducking a bit as he turned to Gabriel, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He felt Gabriel's hand come up and tangle in his hair. ' _And I love you so much. I'll do anything to keep us all safe, I promise you_ ,' he assured.

"Uh...no making out at the table?" Dean's voice cut in.

Sam's annoyance was echoed from Gabriel...and then Gabriel him an idea, and it was all sorts of wrong, but he was annoyed with Dean for pestering him about a kiss. So he scooted his seat back and quickly had a lapful of very lusty mate.

Immediately, there was a choking sound and a harsh coughing following it. "Sa-Sam!" Dean's hoarse voice came over the sound of him trying to breathe.

Sam flipped him off, not caring that everyone was probably watching now. Instead, he gripped tight to Gabriel's hips, smiling up at him for a second before surging into another kiss. It was hard not to break it to laugh when Gabriel very deliberately let out a wanton moan from it.

" ** _Not again_** ," Unti groaned.

" ** _Please, Gabriel, Sam...we do not wish to have to sanitize the dining room as well_** ," Sefir spoke.

It was Gabriel that broke the kiss, almost falling backward as he started laughing.

Sam grinned, leaning forward to nuzzle his neck before shooting a somewhat apologetic smile down the table. " ** _We're just antagonizing Dean, guys. Sorry_** ," he explained.

"Bitch," Dean shot.

Sam shrugged. "Jerk," he shot back, turning to nuzzle against Gabriel a bit more.

Eventually, Gabriel had gone back to his seat, and everyone finished their meal. Meraya, Heturi, and Mefusa volunteered for clean up duty, and Unti offered to work on everyone's laundry, as he'd worked things out in the laundry room a couple of days prior, apparently. Sam was cautious about that (just how had Unti figured that out without turning the first floor into a sudsy mess, exactly?), but he just smiled and accepted Unti's offer graciously. He went to get their dirty clothes...but Gabriel was in the elevator, doors sliding shut as he shot Sam a wink. Sam sent him a bolt of amusement, then looked over at Dean and Cas.

"Bring your stuff down for the wash later, guys. I want to see how similar things are for you two right now," he said, gesturing to the patio past the kitchen.

Castiel looked a bit put out at that, but easily turned to head outside, Dean following after, and Sam taking up the rear.

The three sat at a table that left another seat open for Gabriel, if and when he joined them.

"Okay. So, for Gabriel and I, it started slow. We'd catch each other's emotions briefly and sporadically. Cas, from what Gabriel's told me, I only caught it from him when it was deep enough to hit his grace. Since our souls are...different, harder for us to feel even if we can access them, I'd like you to try and push something to Dean, please," Sam instructed.

Cas nodded shortly, his eyes going to the table as he fell still.

It was barely a minute before Dean's wings jerked, feathers ruffling, eyes going wide and breath hitching just a bit. He swallowed tightly, jaw clenching tight under whatever he felt, his eyes snapping over to Cas and scanning over him, trying to assess his state of being.

Sam reached over and gripped his brother's arm gently. "It's alright Dean. I don't know what Cas is giving you right now, but I promise you, it's alright, and once we get this connection open for you two? You're not gonna want it shut off. Cas...keep it up for a minute," he instructed. Dean's eyes hadn't left Cas, but his breathing had settled a little. "Dean, focus on that feeling. I remember this myself, it's easy to tell it's not your own feelings. Just focus on it and...and pull it closer," Sam offered up.

Cas' wings gave a faint startle motion, his eyes still intent on the table as he kept his focus. "Okay, guys, both of you. Open it. It's a thread now, a pulse, but if you both work, it will change. You just have to make it," he instructed. He waited, looking back and forth between them. He couldn't actually sense anything, but he knew Dean well enough to see something was changing. "Good. Should be a rope now, but we need to change that. Like a...like a whirlpool, almost, or a river, one that flows both ways." Dean's mouth opened. "Shut up, Dean, I know it doesn't make sense, but it will," Sam cut him off. His gaze darted again, and he noticed that Cas was looking more settled than he had been. His eyes didn't look quite as strained, a softness around the corners. Looking at Dean revealed a looseness to he line of his shoulders. "...Just pull it wider, guys. As wide as you're comfortable with," Sam finished, leaning back in his seat.

Dean's eyes fluttered shut seconds later, and Castiel let out a soft sigh of peace.

Sam chuckled. "Well, there it is. One psychic connection. Emotions are the easiest thing to push back and forth, guys. With time, thoughts and memories will be something you can pass as well. That's getting easier for Gabriel and I every day," he told them, his own tone warm. He was happy for them.

"Holy hell, Sammy...I never thought I'd ever...this is..."

"Blissful? Euphoric?" Gabriel's voice interrupted as he came out onto the patio, shutting the door behind him and plodding forth. Sam shot him a smile, but quickly blanched at the lance of sharp humor. Before he could stop him, Gabriel went and said, "Wait till you two have sex with that little link open. Hoo-boy!" he chimed.

Sam hung his head as his brother shot Gabriel a vicious scowl.

But Dean said nothing in reply. Sam blinked and looked up at him...and Dean was already calm. Hm. Seemed that bond was doing wonders for his mood. Shooting Cas an appreciative smile, he looked back at Dean.

"Alright...now to see about what you manifest," he said.

Dean immediately sat forward, nodding, and it took all he had not to smirk. His brother was eager to find this out as well. Amusement pulsed back and forth between himself and Gabriel, and he knew without having to look that Gabriel was smirking in Sam's stead.

"Okay...picture a blade, those cylindrical blades that all the other angels have. ...Focus on th--"

"Shouldn't I be picturing a sword instead? I mean, if I wanted to pull out a sword, then...."

"No. When I did it, I was fully expecting a blade, was picturing one. And your energy is going to act confused when you pull at it, but...anyway, just...listen to me, okay? Picture the blade, focus on it, then start pulling for it," Sam said.

Dean nodded shortly, expression becoming a mask of concentration. Slowly, a frown pulled at his lips. His eyes darted down to his right hand...and then over to his left. He brought his eyes back to his right hand, flexing it a bit. Confusion creased his brow, his eyes darting back to his left hand. He shook his head. "Sammy?" he spoke, the confusion pitched low in his voice.

"Trust it. Whatever you're feeling, Dean, just trust it," Sam spoke, not sure what was going on and hoping he wasn't about to cause a world of trouble for his big brother.

Dean's concentration renewed. Seconds later, there was two three-pronged blades in his hands. Sam blinked, raising an eyebrow.

"...What are those?" Gabriel spoke, heavy confusion and a decent smattering of concern spilling from him.

"Sai. Dean's weapon is a pair of sai," Sam answered. His eyes went to Castiel, but his brother-in-law looked just as confused.

Nodding to himself, Sam stood. Dean's gaze shot up to him, wild confusion in his emerald-greens. "Get up, Dean, and step back a foot or so. Trust me, big brother, you know I'm not gonna yank your chain," Sam spoke.

Dean frowned for barely a second before he was doing as instructed.

"Okay...now ask them for fire," Sam said simply.

Dean shot him a bewildered look, opening his mouth (likely to ask how in the hell he was supposed to do that), but it clicked shut promptly when flame, impossibly and unnaturally blue, not only surrounded the prongs, but the handles and Dean's hands as well.

Castiel shot to his feet, wings high in startled surprise. "Dean?" he questioned, voice high in his concern.

Dean blinked, looking at him, managing a smile despite his own feelings on what was going on. "It's warm, but not...not even hot. I'm alright, Cas," he assured. He then looked at Sam, expression uncomfortable. "...How do I put these things away?"

"Pull at your energy the same way you felt when they manifested, that's it," Sam supplied with a reassuring smile. In the next instant, the sai were gone from Dean's hands. His brother visibly relaxed.

"...The fuck, dude. What does that mean?" he questioned with a frown.

Sam felt the confusion spilling out of Gabriel, so he looked back to Castiel. His brother-in-law looked just as confused as the rest of them, so Sam shook his head with a sigh. "I'm not entirely certain. I'm guessing, because of you being able to call forth the flame, that you're a **_Guardian_**. As I've come to understand it, **_Nesters_ **and **_Sentinels_ **can't do that with their blades. But not only did neither Gabriel or Cas recognize the sai, indicating it's a foreign weapon to anything they have on their homeworld, but the only weapon I've heard of a **_Guardian_ **wielding is, basically, a broad sword," he supplied. "...Anything else, we'll have to ask Jivi. He's their history-keeper, historian, and he...he _might_ know more."

By unanimous decision, they retreated back inside to find the angel historian.

They didn't have to go far. Jivi was just inside, by the laundry area, watching Unti drop a pod into the washer, wings twitching faintly in curiosity.

" ** _Hey, Jiv? Could we steal you for a minute?_** " Sam spoke, flashing the scarlet winged angel a kind smile when he looked up.

Jivi blinked, looking from Sam to Gabriel...then to Cas and finally, Dean. His face lit up in realization and he nodded, quickly stepping away and leading the way to a corner of the living area that essentially served as a reading area.

Sam really tried not to be amused by the way Jivi's wings were twitching, much as they had been that morning when he'd been trying to gather information from Sam to better the records on **_Guardians_**. He knew he was failing when Gabriel's own amusement snaked back along his own.

They each took a seat and Sam considered for a second before he looked at Dean. The look was enough and, though he grimaced about doing it, the sai were called forth again.

Jivi's entire body jolted in his seat, eyes going wide as he eagerly leaned forward. " ** _What are those?_** " he asked, eyeing them over for detail.

"Sai," Dean answered.

" ** _They're a weapon of this planet, obviously. And before you ask, yes, he can call forth a flame_** ," Sam said with a faint smile.

Jivi's eyes came up to Sam's eyes, then moved back over to the weapons in Dean's hands. " ** _How utterly fascinating_** ," he murmured.

Dean's lips twisted, briefly, like he was going to scowl...but in the next second, he was settled and allowing Jivi to continue his visual study.

"... ** _Cas hasn't said anything, but...I figured with your given occupation, you might know better anyway. Are there any records of Guardians having a weapon other than a broad sword?_** " Sam prompted.

Jivi took a moment more to examine Dean's weapons, then looked up at Sam again. "... ** _To my knowledge, no. But given that Dean can summon flame, I'd say he is one, all the same. I will, of course, review the records I have, once I am able to get to them, but I do not believe my search will show anything significant in that regard_**." Here, he turned to Dean. " ** _And if I do, I will of course come to you at once._** "

Dean flashed a smile of thanks, and the sai vanished from his hands in the next instant.

" ** _Jivi...I know it's hardly...exactly your field of expertise, but_**..." Sam spoke, huffing a small sigh as he considered his words. "... ** _There's a chance, especially if more of...of our people come, that other humans will wind up becoming angels as well. Any idea on the likelihood that all of them will be Guardians?_** "

Jivi blinked, his brow creasing and furrowing in thought as he contemplated. "... ** _I can't say_** ," he finally spoke. " ** _I honestly can't. The only statistics we have are you two. While there was little in the way of familial correlation in our texts in regards to Guardians, most of them only occurring in twins...it's not a complete impossibility that you two both became Guardians because of your bloodline. ...Only time and...and more of these instances, will tell us anything significant on this matter_** ," Jivi provided.

Sam glanced at Dean, and his brother met his gaze. Dean didn't like not having this information, because Dean was thinking of the worst case scenario. Dean was thinking of a villain getting ahold of the kind of power that Sam, and now himself, could wield.

They parted after that, for the time being. Jivi went back to learn about laundry machines from Unti, and Dean and Cas went off to parts unknown.

Sam and Gabriel went back out to the patio to enjoy the pleasant air. It was cool without being cold, and carried the scents of the flowers from just days ago, that were still thriving across the small field leading up to the tree line.

When Sam sat down, though, Gabriel decided on straddling his lap, grinning up at him. Even sitting like this, if Gabriel didn't push up on his knees and instead sat with his ass against Sam's thighs as he was currently doing, he still had to look up at Sam.

Sam chuckled, tilting his head. Gabriel was hiding something from him. "...What are you thinking, you imp?" he teased.

Gabriel blinked at the foreign word, but then grinned again. Instead of answering verbally, he moved, nudging Sam's chin up before attacking his neck. Sam sucked in a short breath at the feeling of teeth nipping at some of the most sensitive areas (how in the hell did Gabriel know just where to graze those incisors of his??). In the next instant, though, the breath completely left him in a long, low moan. Gabriel had buried the fingers of both hands into each of Sam's wings, and was twisting and combing them along the feathers in a delicious manner that really, really should not feel as good as it did. "Oh, fuck," he breathed.

Gabriel was pulsing heavy arousal and pleased satisfaction in the next instant, shifting against Sam's lap to ground down against his hips. Sam's hands moved of their own accord, gripping onto his mate's perky ass and pulling him closer. A growl started to pull from his lips, but quickly turned into yet another moan when Gabriel bit down at the juncture between his neck and shoulder. The moan broke into a whimper when Gabriel bit down just a tiny bit more before gently laving his tongue over the area.

"Gabe...Gabriel, _fuck_ \--" Sam choked out when his lover's deft fingers scritched against the sensitive flesh under his feathers. "...Dammit, Gabe, Dean'll kill me if he winds up seeing us again. And the others--"

"Don't care. Now, Sammy. Want you _now_ ," the golden angel demanded.

Sam's reasoning decided to fuck off and fly away at the growling tone his mate used.

He nuzzled against Gabriel's forehead and poured forth a teasing emotion. "Be specific there, Gabe," he quipped.

Heat flashed and pulsed madly from the smaller angel at Sam's sudden lack of resistance, but he otherwise blanked, pulling back just enough for their eyes to meet. Sam chuckled and smiled softly, then moved, reaching between them. He could feel Gabriel's eyes on his hands, tracking their movements as he first freed his own hard length, then undid Gabriel's jeans, freeing him as well. Arousal threatened to drown Sam when he touched his mate's thick, beautiful cock, and he smiled warmly. Oh, he was more than a little aroused himself, but it was mostly being tempered by emotions that were warm instead of searing hot.

He reached and maneuvered one of Gabriel's hands away from his wings, bringing it to his lips. Surprise spilled out of him when Sam licked up across the palm, immediately feeding into something darker and more heady as he sucked on each finger wetly. Sam gave Gabriel's palm one more moist lick after he was done with his fingers, keeping the goal here in mind, then guided Gabriel's hand down. His hand was too small to really hold them both, but it was enough, especially with Sam wrapping a hand around the other side of them.

Gabriel's head fell forward against his chest, a low, soft groan spilling from him. And then Sam guided him into stroking both their lengths.

Gabriel's wings snapped open and stretched wide, and Sam brought his wings up and forth as much as he could (these chairs weren't really designed for that), pressing them into the undersides of Gabriel's wings.

Gabriel moved in an instant, his arousal so bright and hot it nearly burned Sam from the inside-out, his teeth latching back onto the earlier bite between his neck and shoulder. Sam couldn't hold back a yell from the pain-pleasure that shot through him.

Neither of them would last long like this. And that was more than okay. Sam pressed his wings forward as much as he could, guiding Gabriel to stroke faster, tightening both of their grips just a bit more. Gabriel was moaning brokenly against his neck, his teeth leaving the offended area as he pressed kiss after kiss into it.

Sam's head was tilted back, the overhang of the patio taking over his vision as he whispered a continuous chant of, "Love you," toward it.

Gabriel cried out sharply, and the glide between them was easier under the heat of his cum. It took but seconds before Sam gasped loudly for his own release. They slowed their hands after a long moment, as they finished riding it out, and just sank it a boneless satiation in the chair.

They wound up dozing like that within minutes, and came out of it probably about an hour later. Gabriel shifted first, and immediately, discomfort was roiling between them at the cooled and almost fully dry mess.

Sam smirked, kissing Gabriel's forehead. "Good thing I can teleport," he spoke. It was the only warning Gabriel got before they were in the bathroom, their preferred one, on the sixth floor. Gabriel's wings fluttered like mad as he whirled, barely maintaining his balance at suddenly being standing, and looked around.

He then stilled and annoyance shot down their bond. "More warning next time, kiddo," he pouted.

"I'll think about it," Sam shot back with a smirk, moving to turn on the shower.

His response was met with annoyance and amusement in equal measure, which he'd been aiming for.

They showered, Sam got them to their room so they could get dressed, and then they headed down. Evening was approaching, and Sam debated whether to start cooking now (jambalaya did take a while, especially since Sam liked to take the time to do it right), or to wait until after his friends had shown up.

His decision was made by the time they got to the last stairway; he'd cook, and leave the greetings to Dean, Cas, and Gabriel. Passing this on to Gabriel through their bond, they squeezed one another's hands and then parted as they reached the ground floor, Sam heading on to the kitchen.

This kitchen was a miracle, honestly. No other kitchen could've withstood the frenzy Sam went into as he worked. By the time he finally came up for air, the meal nearly ready, he discovered that Moon Queen, Meadow, and Stag had all arrived. ...Sans masks and suits.

Sam grinned broadly as he approached where everyone was already sitting along the table, conversing as best as they could with the language barrier. "Charlie, Alicia, Max!" he greeted. Charlie beamed, standing as he approached and pulling him into a warm hug. Alicia smiled at him, and Max beamed, though he was eyeing Sam's wings curiously. Sam was hardly offended, because he could see Max shooting glances at Dean's wings as well.

"All my favorite bitches, gathered in one place!" Charlie chirped happily as they let go of one another.

Sam chuckled, shaking his head as he rolled his eyes. "That we are. So...how up to speed are you?" he asked, knowing that they'd all be better able to relax once everyone was fully briefed.

Charlie's lips twisted into a faint displeased frown. "Are we talking about the potential upcoming alien invasion, or your interview with your stalker?"

Sam winced. "Uh--"

"Alright, that's it!" Gabriel cut in. "Someone better explain to me what a stalker is already," he huffed.

Sam stilled. ...This could be bad. His eyes went to Dean. ...Very bad.

Charlie, oblivious to the silent communication passing between the **_Guardians_** , her attention on Gabriel, began answering him.

"A stalker is a complete obsessive psycho that follows around the person they want and doesn't take no for an answer! They--"

"Charlie," Sam cut in not wanting her to go deeper than that, already seeing the tension building in Dean's shoulders and the confusion in Cas' expression as he eyed him. "Not now, okay?" he said, giving her a light smile.

She shot him a confused look. "But--"

Annoyance was spilling from Gabriel, but Sam ignored it. If he didn't get them off the subject, things were going to be in a bad way very soon. "I'd prefer to explain that another time. Help me get the food to the table?" he spoke, turning and not giving her a real option but to follow along with the request.

' _Sam? What's going on? What...what are you keeping from me here?_ '

' _Just don't bring up stalkers again right this minute. You know I'll tell you, Gabe. Hell, if you want, I'll show you. But not now. Get everyone off that subject. Please._ '

Concern pulsed heavily from Gabriel, even as he managed to get the whole table cracking up as some anecdote he'd seen on TV. Within the space of ten minutes, everyone had food, and things were back to being at ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's so much more that my muse forced me to listen to last night, when she woke me up and kept me up for over TWO AND A HALF HOURS. TWO AND A HALF HOURS, MY BELOVED MUSE.
> 
> Gods, I'm tired.
> 
> This is all for today. Sorry...and enjoy~
> 
> Also, if I missed any damned formatting (because I have over the past few chapters and had to go back and freaking edit it in), please just pretend it's there.
> 
> And finally...IT'S TACO NIGHT, BITCHES!
> 
> That is all.


	50. Chapter 50

Spicy, spiciness...it was a whole new experience for the angels.

Gabriel thought his tongue might be bleeding, and for the life of him, though he could smell the flavors, he just wasn't able to taste them beyond the pain in his mouth.

Sam had halted short of his first bite when that surged between them, frowning in concern and looking down the line of the table. Gabriel watched as his mate practically dropped his fork and moved quickly back toward the kitchen.

"Sam?" Dean called out, twisting to watch his retreating brother in concern. Across the table from Gabriel, Cassie was digging into his meal hungrily, as though there was not a lick of pain associated with the spiciness of their meal.

"Get in here and help me!" Sam called out.

That had not only Dean rising, but Charlie, Alicia, and Max as well. None of them seemed to have a clue what was going on, but they moved on Sam's cue anyway.

Meanwhile, Gabriel took to licking his napkin, trying to scrape the pain off his tongue. He finally had enough thought to see how the others were faring.

Meraya was eating the same way Cassie was. So was Nariel.

Sefir's nose was wrinkled as he pushed the dish in front of him away a bit. Unti was mimicking his actions.

Jivi was taking small, tentative bites, but didn't seem to be dismissing the meal.

Heturi was staring at the food uncertainly, his face a bit flushed before he took another bite. He chewed slowly, frowning, as if he couldn't make out what he was experiencing.

Mefusa was eating at a sedate pace, and seemed to be enjoying what he had.

...Glips wasn't eating. She was staring off into the kitchen.

...Yeah...something was going on with her. She'd kinda been staring at the humans since they'd arrived, and Gabriel was curious. Pain momentarily forgotten, he watched her slowly rise and walk on light, careful feet toward the kitchen. As she approached, her wings made an abortive movement, but the beginnings of it were enough for Gabriel to see what it was. Humor danced from him to Sam in that instant, and Sam sent back a curious pulse, that was also tinged with worry (but that worry had been there since he'd gotten up).

' _Glips is interested in one of your friends, Sammy_.'

Surprise lit up inside Gabriel.

"Sam, what the fuck?" came out of Dean.

"Shit, shit, get a towel!" Sam ordered.

Dean moved and Gabriel was able to see several glasses of white liquid--milk--on the counter, as well as a glass that had overflowed and spilled all over the place.

Sam started passing glasses to his friends as Dean worked on cleaning up the mess, and he stepped away as well, passing a glass to Gabriel.

" ** _Alright, guys, if the spiciness is getting to you, drink the milk. It'll help cool things down. If you can't handle the food, say as much, don't try and force it. There's plenty of humans that can't handle spiciness, either, and you're not going to be judged for that_** ," he spoke.

Gabriel eagerly took the glass and started gulping, but quickly found that sipping and letting it linger on his tongue and soothe the ache there better.

" ** _I...I would like to eat something different_** ," Sefir spoke up after a moment of each angel taking testing drinks of milk. His wings were hunkered just the slightest bit, a grimace on his face as he looked at Sam.

" ** _I as well!_** " Unti chimed in, showing none of the hesitation or shame that Sefir was.

Sam nodded, flashing them each a reassuring smile, but pausing to make sure the others were faring well. Gabriel looked over to see Glips indecisively hovering by her seat, before taking a bite of her food. Her eyebrows went up after a second, and she chewed slowly, then sat down to continue eating, though her eyes kept glancing down the expanse of the table toward the human trio sitting there. Gabriel was trying to figure out which one of them she had her eye on.

" ** _Heturi_**?" Sam finally spoke in question.

Heturi froze and sank into his chair a little.

" ** _I think...I'd like something else as well_** ," he spoke, barely able to be heard, and not looking up to meet anyone's gaze.

" ** _Of course_** ," Sam replied, voice carefully kept from being soft, despite the tentative concern that Gabriel felt from his **_mate_**.

With that, Sam moved back into the kitchen, where Dean was finishing the spilled milk clean up.

"So, Gabe," Charlie spoke, and Gabriel noticed Glips' gaze snapping up. Ah, so that's who it was. Gabriel turned to face Charlie, grinning broadly as though he was the **_hervil_ **that had gotten into the **_guli_**. Charlie blinked at that smile of his, almost looking wary, but continued on. "This incoming invasion...what do you reckon we ought to expect?" she questioned.

"Well..." Gabriel drew out, thinking. "I...I don't really know. Mefusa and Sam put up a **_net_** , a uh...repeating broadcast? And uh...well, it probably won't really be that much of an invasion, should those that arrive choose to heed the message," he explained.

"...What's the message say, exactly?" Charlie asked, glancing back toward the kitchen where Sam and Dean were too far away to overhear them and answer while they were working on fixing up something different for Sefir, Unti, and Heturi.

Blinking, Gabriel looked down the table to Mefusa, who was looking up toward the kitchen now as well, pausing where he'd been serving himself a second helping of food. Castiel had been translating back and forth, between bites of food...sometimes even with food still in his mouth. He really seemed to like spicy food, judging by the fact that he was on his third serving.

Mefusa frowned a bit, continuing to scoop food into his dish, glancing down at Gabriel to show he had heard. " ** _Not verbatim, but essentially that they're welcome, and to contact us because there is danger and that we don't wish anyone to come to harm again_** ," he supplied.

Gabriel nodded his thanks, looking back to Charlie. "The angels are welcome and need to reach out before attempting to land so no one gets hurt," he relayed. Close enough.

He saw movement from the corner of his eyes and glanced down the table to see Heturi glancing toward the kitchen, surprise in his expression and through his wings.

"Wait, wait...you're telling me you guys not only sent a beacon out to draw your people here, but actively are inviting them, too?" Alicia piped up, frowning when Gabriel looked at her. "I mean, it was our understanding that one of you had gone off on their own and pulled that shit. What the hell?" she demanded.

Before Gabriel could respond, Charlie was smacking her in the shoulder with the back of her hand, and her brother was shooting her a scowl.

"Alicia, I know you've got a brain in there! Think about it, now!" Charlie huffed. "Sure, it's not really all that ideal that their people are being called here, but from what Dean and Gabriel were telling us earlier, it's way too late to fuss over the how and why about what's drawing them here. So, all we can do, is ensure peace all around, to the best of our ability."

Max was nodding on the other side of her, and drew her considering frown away from Charlie. "She's right, sis. And it'd stand to reason that after the first three ships, there'd have wound up being more anyway, and one of those ships sending up a beacon. It's happened, is happening...and we should do our best to be ready."

Alicia was quiet for a few seconds, then sighed softly, giving a nod of agreement.

"Mm, speaking of ships," Charlie spoke, looking at Gabriel. "I need someone to come help me move that last one. The government's been hovering around it, wanting to take it apart and see how things work, and I'm...not so sure that's the best idea, after what happened with yours," she said.

Gabriel blinked, then nodded fervently. "They dismantle the wrong thing, they'd wind up caught in a blast within minutes," he supplied.

Sam and Dean had walked over from the kitchen at this point, catching on to the conversation. Sam went to Heturi first, setting a burger and some fries in front of him, then moving toward Sefir, while Dean set food in front of Unti, and then Gabriel himself.

"Gabe can fly it outta there, but I have no clue where to put it. I mean, the compound's roof is large enough, if only just, but...will the roof hold under that much weight?" he asked.

Charlie frowned, light flashing through her eyes, her entire body giving a faint glow...from her energy, Gabriel realized after a few seconds. It was gone just after the realization. "No. No, it wouldn't. I guess I'll have to find someplace to safely hide it, then, and reach out once I do. For now, I've got contacts keeping the government from approaching it...it should be safe, for now."

Sam nodded, now at his seat beside Gabriel, sitting down to continue eating.

Conversation idled after that for a bit while everyone ate. Sam got up a bare ten minutes later, taking his still half-full dish with him into the kitchen, starting to do something in there. Gabriel sent a pulse of curiosity, and amusement met it.

' _Dessert, remember?_ '

A laugh came out of Sam when Gabriel sent on a happy dancing little feeling toward his mate. It had almost everyone looking toward the kitchen, before Dean turned back toward Gabriel, a suspicious look in his eyes. "You sendin' thoughts to him?" he questioned.

Gabriel shrugged, smirking. "More or less," he replied easily. "You should practice on that, Dean-o. Makes the whole psychic connection more comfy."

"Psychic connection? Dean?" Alicia spoke, turning to look at him.

Charlie looked unsurprised which meant she probably already knew about this. But Alicia and Max obviously didn't. Alicia looked suspicious, and Max openly curious.

"Uh..." Dean let out, face flushing and feathers ruffling in discomfort. Gabriel didn't much like his family being put in the hot seat like that, but it was Castiel that spoke up, so Gabriel took over translating for the table for the moment.

"Dean and I have formed a partial **_mating_ **bond," he began, and that had all the angels snapping to attention, "and due to the nature of it, a psychic connection was established. The same as there is for Gabriel and Sam. The bond is what has altered their base DNA and molecular structure, changing their very species to make them as they are now. While it's all very atypical of anything our species knows, you may rest assured that there have been no detrimental effects," his little brother spoke clinically.

The table was quiet for just a bare second, and then there were voices all over the room. A concerned pulse came from Sam, but he was in the middle of something, apparently, and didn't leave the kitchen.

So Gabriel took it upon himself to stand, slam his hands on the table and raise his wings up high. " **Enough**!" he snapped out above the din.

Though he'd spoken in English, the meaning was clear enough.

He turned to look down the line of the table at the angels. " ** _We're going to answer the humans' questions first, because they're the least knowledgeable about all of this, and then we'll come back to you_** ," he spoke, voice even as it carried down. He heard Castiel softly translating for Charlie and the twins.

Gabriel flicked his wings out and settled them back down as he took back up his seat, leaning back into it lazily as he looked at the three seated mostly across from him. "Alright...one at a time," he spoke.

He wasn't really surprised that it was Alicia that surged forth with the first question, her face set in a tight scowl. "The fuck is a **_ma-a-tt_** \- bond?" she demanded, badly butchering the word.

Gabriel huffed, frowning as he tilted his head in consideration, but Dean cut him off before he could begin to answer. "It's kinda like angel-marriage, but...more. Deeper. Harder to undo, not that I'd want to. Pretty sure Sam wouldn't want to, either," he supplied.

Alicia's eyes flashed to him, and her scowl deepened. "...Wait, are you telling me...you're freaking boning with an alien species?"

Castiel halted in his translation, face confused at the word. Gabriel's wings were high in agitation at the disgust in her voice. So were Dean's. "Sex, Cassie...she means sex," Gabriel supplied to his little brother quietly.

"Watch how you fucking talk about my **_mate_** ," Dean growled at her, around Castiel and Charlie.

Max's lips were set in a tight line as he stared down at the back of his sister's head.

"Fuck you, Winchester! What the actual fuck! I knew you had issues keeping it in your pants, but really? They're freaking aliens, no matter how much they look like us! Why would y--"

" **ALICIA** ," Max barked out suddenly. Everyone stilled, even--and especially--Dean.

Alicia looked unsettled as she slowly turned to look at her brother. A second later, she was frowning in consternation and challenge. "No. No, Max. It's wrong on a very base level! There is no way that this is okay! Don't try to defend them, defend this! It's not--"

"Alicia, why do you think it's wrong for love to extend beyond the human species?" Charlie spoke softly.

Alicia let out a wild sound, turning back around to face her.

Castiel, bless him, was still translating this mess for everyone. At the next statement, though, he halted, his own wings finally shooting up high and wide in tense aggression.

"Seriously? Next thing you know, you'll be fucking a damned horse, Char!"

Charlie went dangerously still. Max, behind his sister, was staring down at her in open shock.

The red head took a deep breath in. "The fact that you cannot relegate the angels to being a sentient species, and instead are dismissing them as animals, makes you as bad as any villain I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. You're dismissed, Meadow. From this compound, from my purview. ...Never have the audacity to grace me with your presence again," she said simply.

Alicia blinked, her ire and arguments vanishing into a stunned expression. Behind her, Max's eyes shut for a moment, and then he sighed, pushing back in his seat and standing. He opened his mouth to speak, but Charlie's eyes shot up to him. "That dismissal does not extend to you, Stag," she said simply.

Max blinked, brow crinkling in confusion for a moment...and then he shook his head, giving a sad smile. "I don't agree with my sister, Charlie. I don't. But she's my twin, my only family. Where she goes, I follow," he said. His eyes moved to Dean. "Make sure our Queen makes it home safe?"

"Yeah, man. ...Take care of yourself," Dean spoke back quietly.

Max nodded. He glanced toward the kitchen, briefly, then moved and grabbed his sister by the arm, gentle despite the ire in his eyes, and pulled her up. She stumbled, shock still in her face, as Charlie looked back to her almost empty plate, taking another bite of food and showing her dismissal entirely.

The twins said not a word as they left the compound.

...Sam was not going to like hearing all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have plans for Max...plans my muse gave me, so I have no idea why she decided to give me all this and run him off! ...Uhg. She makes things so...well...she makes things interesting, actually. Difficult sometimes, yes, but interesting all the same.
> 
> Also...FIFTY FREAKING CHAPTERS, HOLY HELLS


	51. Chapter 51

Sam was staring down at the oven door, frowning. He wanted to know what was going on. He'd heard raised voices, caught a few words, but he had no idea what was being said. His prods to Gabriel had been ignored; whatever was going on had the other angel's full attention.

Gabriel's emotions were starting to settle, but Sam didn't prod. He'd be pulling the lava cakes out in a minute, and serving them a bare few minutes after that, and then he'd get the story.

He heard a shuffling step on the high quality linoleum of the kitchen floor and blinked, looking away from the oven door.

Heturi stood there, looking ill at ease, feathers rucked in agitation. **_"I...I needed to get away from all of...that_** ," he said apologetically. "... ** _I was hoping I could help?_** " he continued, meeting Sam's eyes for just a second before his gaze went back to the floor.

Sam nodded. " ** _Yeah. Yeah, that's fine_** ," he answered before sighing. " ** _I'm not gonna like what I hear about whatever just happened, am I?_** "

" ** _No, I don't think you are_** ," Sam heard him reply as he moved closer. His wings settled a bit as he sniffed the air. " ** _That...that smells better than that container at the store. Is that_** \--"

" ** _Chocolate, yes. This is a dessert specifically called lava cakes. The exterior is a soft cake, and when you cut into it, melted chocolate comes out_** ," he responded with a warm smile, eyeing the timer. He shut it off before he finished its countdown, then moved and pulled the oven door open, carefully removing the two silicone trays that were setting upon baking sheets, with the help of an oven mitt. When he shut the door and looked up, Heturi's eyes were closed as he sniffed, and his feathers were almost fully settled. ...Hopefully this dessert would help everyone settle down after whatever had happened.

Sam turned fully to get platters from the cabinets under the island counter, to help him turn out the lava cakes, and paused, seeing Mefusa entering the kitchen area. His eyes were on Heturi, tracking over his wings. His own wings gave a twitch so subtle that it could've been Sam's imagination, and he found himself wondering what the Sentinel was thinking. Was he still upset with Heturi over his betrayal? Angry because the Nester had used Mefusa's communication equipment to enact that betrayal? He frowned in concern, but quickly smoothed the expression, smiling instead. " ** _Hey, Mefusa...good timing, I'll have things plated in just a bit, and we could use the help carrying everything over_** ," he said.

Mefusa looked at Sam, almost looking startled to see him there, but quickly recovered and nodded. " ** _Of course_** ," he offered with a faint smile.

Heturi turned, glancing at Mefusa, then watching as Sam moved and pulled out the platters. Sam felt a but humored as both angels moved then, close but staying out of the way, as Sam laid a platter over the top of one of the silicone trays, grabbed on to each end with oven mitts, then flipped the whole thing in a swift move, setting the tray down. He lightly tapped each mold of the tray, making sure the lava cakes had all come loose before lifting away the tray and depositing it into the sink, his wings giving a happy little twitch at seeing all of the cakes sitting intact on the platter.

Repeating the motions with the second platter, he soon had twenty four perfect little lava cakes waiting to be demolished. But first, they needed to be plated and served with a small scoop of ice cream to the side.

Mefusa and Heturi moved off to the side as Sam swept about, pulling out saucer-sized bowls and setting them on the island counter, heading for the freezer. He pulled out a couple of half-gallons of vanilla bean ice cream, eyes moving to the dining room for a head count. He paused, frowning. ...Max and Alicia were not in sight.

Patience, he told himself. You'll find out what happened after everyone has their dessert.

With a short nod to himself, he turned and set about scooping each lava cake off the platters, into the bowls, and then digging out a small ice cream scoop and serving up the frozen mixture on the side. Each time he got two ready, he would gesture to the bowls, and Mefusa or Heturi would sweep them away to the dining room to serve.

Sam took the last two, one for himself and one for Gabriel, then made his way over, setting his **_mate's_** down in front of him, then setting his own down...but he didn't take his seat. Not yet.

"Show me," he spoke, when Gabriel frowned up at him in confusion for that. There was resistance in Gabriel's expression, and through their connection, but it was hardly a flicker of one. It was hardly a second later that Gabriel was showing him the conversation he'd missed.

It took not even a few seconds for it to pass between them, but it took much longer for him to figure out what to feel in the wake of it.

He wanted to be angry. He wanted to be _so very angry_. How could Alicia think or feel like that??

He wanted to hurt, because she'd just dragged Max down with her, and it was wrong.

But he pushed those aside things aside, because the anger at Alicia, and the hurt for Max...was nothing. Ultimately, he settled on the ache he felt for Charlie, and without even giving thought to it, he moved back around the table, pulling her up from her chair, startling her into dropping her fork, and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Charlie," he murmured against the top of her head.

Charlie stilled for a moment, then shook her head, tucked just under his chin as she gently hugged him back. "Don't be. There was never gonna wind up being anything there, Sam," she said quietly, pulling back enough for him to let her go. She smiled up at him, though it was strained. "And now? I'm glad there wasn't. ...Imagine if she'd found out about the whole male pregnancy thing, too. I would never have guessed she was so closed minded...I'm glad I never gave her a hint," she spoke. All the same, her expression was tight. She huffed out a sigh and shook her head. "Now, let's just eat my favorite freaking dessert. You're lucky you have the wrong parts, littlest Winchester, or I'd have snatched you up a long time ago. You spoil me," she said with a broad grin.

Sam chuckled and shook his head. "Believe it or not, Char, I made the lava cakes for the angels, not just you. Most of them have only had chocolate in the form of our pancakes so far," he said, with a gesture to himself and Dean.

Charlie's brows went up. "While those are delicious, that is still a crime against nature," she said, then turned to the angels and gestured magnanimously. "Dig in!" she called out.

As if they understood, because it hadn't been translated for them, they all began to eat their dessert.

Even Gabriel, and as Sam walked around the table, his knees nearly buckled at the wave of pleasure that bordered on arousal outta his **_mate_**. As it was, he managed with only a small stumble, chuckling and sending his amusement back.

"Watch it, Gabe, or I'm gonna start thinking you love food more than me," he teased as he took his seat.

Gabriel paused, and he was pensive. Not just in expression, but through their bond. Sam's eyes widened in surprise at that. "Wait a--"

"Food wins," Gabriel cut him off.

He looked serious, but Sam felt the playful tickling at his insides, and he huffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, okay, well, so long as it's my food," he shot back.

"Oh definitely, Sammy. Most definitely," he purred back with a grin.

Sam laughed and shot him a wave of warmth and love, tucking into his own cake and ice cream.

Heturi volunteered for clean up, and Mefusa stood and began to help out wordlessly.

The other angels all went off to do their own thing, while Sam, Dean, Charlie, Castiel, and Gabriel all went off to the reading corner of the living room, taking up seats.

When they did, Sam noticed Charlie assessing him closely. "Sooo..." she began. "The interview...."

Sam winced and frowned. He knew they'd come back to this. He sighed and tried to see if he could keep the topic on the interview itself, and not the reporter in question.

"Yeah. Yeah, about that. How far have you buried any connections between Dean and myself, and any of our friends?"

Charlie frowned. "What do you mean? I mean...no one'll connect Chrysalis and Argent to...holy. fuck. You guys aren't gonna--"

"It was Sammy's idea, but...yeah, we're gonna," Dean cut in.

Charlie's eyes were wide. Her mouth moved like a fish trying to breathe on land. Finally, it closed, a frown gracing her lips as she took a moment to think things over. When it passed, she sighed. "There's a few things I have to bury yet, but it'll take minutes to do once I'm in my Cove. Are you guys sure about this, though? There's no going back if you do."

"There's nothing to go back to, Char," Sam offered up. He looked at Gabriel and smiled softly as he took his hand, spilling him a reassuring wave of love, even though Gabriel wasn't discomforted by his statement. "Not that we'd want to, anyway."

"Mm. Alright, so! Becky," Charlie spoke, smiling tightly.

Sam groaned, then tilted his head to look at the red-head. "Yes. Becky."

"Sam...come on, there's a million--"

"Charlie, please. Let it go?"

"She stalked--"

"Fuck this," Dean muttered, standing swiftly. Sam tensed, eyes sweeping up to his brother. Dean's expression was guarded as he met Sam's eyes, his hand held out towards Castiel.

Sam blinked, disbelieving of the words that passed between them silently. Cas took Dean's hand, standing and trying to read the situation, but he wasn't getting anything, apparently, because he just looked more and more confused.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked quietly of his brother.

Dean gave nothing more than a short nod, then turned and headed toward the stairs. 

Sam breathed out a heavy sigh, turning from watching him go. He pressed a kiss to the back of Gabriel's hand, then let it go as he leaned forward, resting his forearms against his knees.

"...Sam? What's going on? What in the hell did I miss?" Charlie spoke quietly.

Sam looked up, meeting her gaze with a sad smile. "You know how Dean came to access his powers. I think you should know now, how I discovered my own," he began. Charlie's eyes widened a bit more. She obviously had assumed that Sam's powers had been activated in the same bus accident that they had been activated for in Dean. His had come before that, but neither Dean nor himself had ever divulged that, not to anyone. Dean had gone off to tell Cas about it, now, and Sam...Sam would rehash it to Gabriel and Charlie.

"Before I start, I want to make a few things clear, for both of you. You are not to look at Dean like you know this, like you have even a hint about any of it. If you do, it'll come back up for him, and he'll lock down on you, shut you out immediately until he can recover. You know how he is, Charlie. Things that hit too close to home...he doesn't deal with them properly, doesn't process 'em. Just shoves it down and moves past it, just keeps on truckin'." Here, he waited. In short order, Charlie nodded and he looked to Gabriel. When Gabriel, frowning in concern that Sam felt, nodded as well, Sam gave him a short nod in return, before moving on to address him directly. This next part, Charlie already knew and understood.

"A stalker is a person that becomes unhealthily obsessed with another individual, and it is almost always largely not said individual's fault. In fact, the instances where they are at fault are nearly nonexistent. It's highly uncommon that someone actually goes out of their way to lead someone on to that point. ...No, a stalker usually latches on to the individual because...because of a passing conversation, an action they witnessed by that individual, or even just because they like the way the individual looks." Pausing for just a second to gather his thoughts, Sam continued with a faint sigh. "Usually things start out pretty harmless, but it's exceedingly rare they don't escalate. Especially when the stalker doesn't receive attention in return. When they're advances receive a flat out no, or are ignored...or when the individual's attention goes somewhere else, to someone else. Things can...can turn pretty nasty very quickly. ...It's not uncommon to hear of people being killed by their stalkers, Gabe," he said.

Gabriel looked utterly horrified...was horrified, by the sensations rolling from him, turning Sam's stomach a bit. Oh, this was going to be _fun_.

Deciding he'd better handle Gabriel's emotions if he were not looking at him, he turned back to Charlie. She was pale, having reached a conclusion, but she didn't attempt to stop him as he started again.

"Dean was 17, the August before he was to turn 18, when it started. It was notes in his locker. Less than two weeks later, they were also in his locked car. A month later, in his room, waiting when he got home from school. One...one weekend morning, he woke us up...because there had been one left in the middle of the night, while we were all home, all sleeping, on the kitchen counter. He told Dad everything about the notes and the...the things they said." Sam paused, jaw clenching tight enough to ache. "Dad told him to man up, find whoever was doing it, and tell 'em off," he muttered, shaking his head. He took a steadying breath, letting go of the old rage from that, and moved on. "It just kept getting worse, no matter what Dean did, though. Two weeks later, we came home to a pile of loose, wilted roses all over the door step. ...There was a cat's severed head underneath them."

Charlie's skin had a faint green tinge, and Sam decided to cut back on any more gory details. He could feel Gabriel's nauseated emotions, too, but he didn't look over, not right then.

"There was a Winter formal at school, and it was Dean's last year, so...he asked Rhonda Hurley to go. ...She said yes, and Dean was so happy, because he'd been trying to get her to go out with him for a while at that point, that he kissed her. ...Just...just on the cheek. That..." Sam spoke, frowning as he looked toward a nearby window. "She was dead the next morning."

"Oh, my God," Charlie breathed. Sam looked back over to her, giving a weak smile. "Fuck, it gets worse? How does it--"

"The notes were no longer...nice. They'd been creepy before, but they'd almost been nice. Dean had been creeped out, but after Rhonda's murder, he was scared. With the new messages he was receiving...he...he didn't talk to anyone. He barely talked to me." Sam paused again, feeling his wings twitch and shift, feathers rucking upward. He didn't want to show this, didn't want them to know how much it still affected him...but he wasn't thinning his link with Gabriel, not even for this, maybe especially not for this, and he breathed out a low sigh, shutting his eyes. He would've hung his head, too, but he didn't want to have to repeat himself if he'd wound up muffled by his lap.

"The night of his 18th birthday, I woke up. I'm still not sure what I heard that woke me up, but...but I was almost back asleep when I heard another sound, this time definitely from Dean's room. He'd been having a scarce nightmare here and there, and I thought maybe he had woken up again. ...I usually left him alone because he always snapped when I came in there anyway, but..." his wings were trembling, and it was all he could do to keep his voice even. "I got up, and went out of my room, turned, and opened his door. ...There was a man leaning over him, and a knife in his stomach. Dean was on the floor beside his bed, with a knife in his stomach, trying to scream, but he couldn't, because the bastard h-had his hands around Dean's throat, had al-already crushed his larynx, was snarling in his face about how he'd always belong to him now, and--" Sam halted as he felt Gabriel's hand clutching onto his forearm, felt him leaning into his side. Gabriel was so filled with mute horror, but he was doing everything he could, mentally, emotionally, and physically, to try and soothe what Sam was feeling, what was roiling out of him. Sam took a steadying breath, turning his head. Sightlessly, he found the side of Gabriel's head and nuzzled against his hair, before turning enough that he could continue. "I moved. I didn't think, I moved. I pushed him, hard enough that he stumbled away and fell. I grabbed the only weapon there was, the damned knife sticking out of Dean, and.... And when I stopped, he was long dead, and my Dad was in the room. He was holding Dean, crying. 'My boy, my boy,' he was saying. I looked over, and...dropped the knife. I don't remember walking closer, but I remember Dean's blue lips, his dull eyes. ...I've never done what I did then, since. I've never been able to again," he spoke, finally opening his eyes and looking at Charlie. She was crying silently, horrified. "...He was gone, Charlie. Dean was dead. All I can remember is this pain in my heart that took over everything else. And I remember reaching toward him. Dad...when I woke up, Dad told me I'd lit up the room with my little miracle performance. That I dropped, and Dean gasped in air."

"...Holy fuck."

Sam chuckled, but it lacked any mirth. "Dad got rid of the body, cleaned it all up. Started training us, because if I had powers, he was willing to bet that Dean did, too. And he wound up right. Less than a month later was that bus accident we told you about. That asshole, Alastair Merdi...no one missed him, from what we could find. And no one ever came by us to look for him, either."

They all fell quiet then, and Sam turned his head, nuzzling softly against Gabriel. Not so much for comfort as just to feel...warm. He always felt cold after thinking about that. And he'd just spoken about it for the very first time since the aftermath of it all.

Gabriel nuzzled back, seeking comfort from the rawness their emotions had left him with. Sam didn't mind a bit, trying to soothe him as much as possible as he pushed the old scars away.

"Why...why didn't you guys ever tell me about this?"

"Dean didn't want anyone knowing, Char. Not anyone. He felt like he was weak for allowing it to happen," Sam answered softly.

"Then...why now? What changed?" she asked.

Sam smiled, warm and bright as he looked at her. He licked his lips, thinking of how to word it. "...When you can feel someone else's emotions in you, you get a different perspective on life. ...What changed things, Charlie...is Cas."


	52. Chapter 52

Dean and Cas didn't come back down that night, and though she was loathe to leave until she at least saw Dean again, assured herself that he was indeed whole and healthy after hearing the story, Charlie still allowed Sam to teleport her back to Cove. "I'll clean up any traces tying you guys to anyone at all in any sort of significant way before I crash for the night. And...and Sam? I..." she started, frowning for a moment. Sam waited, giving her time to piece together what she wanted to say, as they stood under the soft lights of the dimly lit living room. The whole of Cove was cool and often the lights were kept dim. Cool, because of all the computers and servers in the building. Dim, because sometimes when Charlie came back up from a deep-dive into the technology around her, her eyes were sensitive.

"I'm lucky to know you. Lucky to know you both. You guys are the brothers I never got, the siblings I never knew I wanted, and you're both amazing and _good_ in ways that just...I have no words for. ...And I'm happy that you're both happy," she finally said with a warm, teary smile.

Sam felt himself soften impossibly at her words, and he moved, pulling her into a gentle, warm hug. "You're good too, ya know. We'd be lost without you, Char. You've saved our asses in multiple ways plenty of times. We love the hell outta you. ...And anytime you wanna swing by, just give me a call, alright? I can pop in without any issue." When he felt her nod against his chest, he kissed the top of her head. "And uh...if you hear from Max...let him know they're both still welcome at the compound."

That had Charlie jerking back, staring up at him in shock and surprise. "Wha...after what she said, you--"

"How's she gonna learn, how is she going to open up her mind, if she isn't given the opportunity, Char? Heturi, the one who activated the beacon on us, is being given opportunity to earn forgiveness and trust again. It'd be hypocritical of me to not give the same opportunity to Alicia because of her words. Do I want to, after what she said to you, about you, and what she insinuated about my new race? ...Not really. But I...I have to be better than that. I-I need to be. Especially if I want the angels to learn, too, to adapt to life here."

"God, Sam..." Charlie breathed with a short laugh. "You know, I feel like there's a lot I still don't know about what all is going on with you guys," she tacked on after a short minute.

Sam gave a weak smile and shrugged. "Yeah. Yeah, there's a few things, I imagine. I'm sure Dean has told you what he can, but there's some things that just don't...translate. Like, literally. So it's difficult to explain. But we'll do our best," he said, reaching up and rubbing at his chest. Gabriel had been anxious about Sam leaving, and that anxiety was spiking with the length of his absence. "I need to get back, though, so...I guess you'll see me on the news next," he shot with a chuckle.

Charlie laughed a bit and nodded. "Just uh...tell Becky if she tries anything, she'll have half the damned heroes in the US on her tail. I'm not afraid to pull out all stops for one of my brothers," she spoke, tone playful, but eyes belying the seriousness of her words.

Wordlessly, Sam nodded, kissed her forehead, and was gone.

When he got back to the compound, Gabriel was waiting. Relief washed over Sam, and then determination smacked him. He frowned at his **_mate_ **in question at the determination, watching Gabriel stand. The smaller angel walked over, took his hand, then started leading him away from the living area and to the elevator. He didn't offer a word, or much in the way of other emotions.

They got to their room and Gabriel helped him out of his shirt, grabbed a pair of his pajama pants out of the dresser and shoved them into his hands, then turned and prepared himself for bed as well.

Within minutes, they were on their bed, laying on their sides facing one another, with the blanket pulled up to drape over their waists. Gabriel was snuggled into his front, but not so much that they couldn't make eye contact without being uncomfortable.

Finally, Gabriel spoke up. "You didn't tell us everything. You left some bits out, Sam. The words on the notes, things about your father, and a good bit more after you told us about...about the roses," he spoke. Sam already knew what Gabriel wanted from those words. He still let his **_mate_ **speak his request. "You said you'd show me, if I wanted. ...So show me."

Sam gave a small nod, kissed Gabriel lightly, then relaxed into the bed, closing his eyes. Instead of just pushing the memory forward, as he'd been doing, he brought it up for the both of them, delving into it with Gabriel.

He showed him everything that had happened in those months. How he hadn't noticed anything going on for a few weeks because he was busy dealing with freaking puberty and freaking out over liking two different peoples, one of which was far more socially acceptable to like at the time, the other he pretty much ran from in terror whenever he saw him in the hallway.

Then he started noticing Dean being jumpy and rushing to the Impala ahead of him, stuffing scraps of paper into his pocket at random.

And then Dean would act skittish when at home.

And the morning he started screaming and yelling for their Dad. How he'd been crying, sobbing, when he told their father about how he'd been getting weird, creepy messages, talking about his body, about how they'd been in his locker, in his car, in his room, and now one had appeared while they'd all been sleeping, and he was scared, he didn't feel safe, and "Dad, please, please, help me, I don't know what to do!"

Their father had smacked him, open handed, likely thinking Dean was just hysterical. Told him to quit acting like a woman and to find this asshole and make them stop, "By force, if necessary."

The roses, and the cat's head. The squirrel in his car. The fox, in his locker. The rabbit in his bed.

His bed became a focal point after that, every other day a new dead animal.

Sam took to rushing to Dean's room the second they were inside the house, dumping the dead animal in the trash and the sheets in the washer. Dean hadn't said a word, but Sam knew his big brother was grateful for it, in that he didn't try to stop Sam.

The day of Dean's birthday, coming home, rushing to the bedroom...there should've been an animal that day, but it was empty.

He felt later that he should've known.

Waking to something he didn't know. Hearing a thump and a faint vocal noise when he'd almost been back asleep.

Shuffling and trudging from his bed to the door, opening it, turning past the wall that separated their rooms, opening Dean's door....

The yellow cast over the room from the street light not even ten yards from Dean's window. The kitchen knife, buried almost to the hilt in Dean's stomach. The man, tall and lean bent down low over his brother, at angle that let Sam see his hands, thumbs pressed so deeply into his throat, Sam was trying to figure out for a second how they didn't go through it entirely.

A hissed, "--forever. Always mine, now."

Fear. Rage that batted the fear away like it was an insect. Rage so bright and hot and all consuming.

He moved. He pushed. He mindlessly grabbed the knife, intent on ending the threat to his family, to his brother.

Feeling nothing but the rage as he sat on the man and brought the knife down, again and again and again...he didn't know how many times.

He didn't know what made him stop, but when he did...when he did, the rage snapped away, vanished like it'd never been, and he dropped the knife.

He heard a sob, a soft murmuring with it, and he turned, briefly numb in the wake of the rage.

He saw his father, with an expression he'd never once seen before, not even when he was drunk and mourning his long-deceased wife. His face streaked with tears, his hands curled gently, and somehow desperately, over Dean's shoulders.

_Dean. Dean!_

He rose. He stumbled, he was on his knees next to his big brother. _No_.

Dean's lips were blue, his eyes open and lacking any sort of spark in them. They stared up sightlessly. _No_.

"My boy. My boy. Dean, my boy." No!

Pain, entirely emotional in nature, filled him entirely. _NO, this is WRONG!_

His vision blurred, his hands came up.

_I won't let this be. This is wrong._

Hands meeting fabric, pressing down.

_Come back. Come back! DEAN!_

Everything went black.

Waking, and being desperately cold, feeling almost hollow with it.

Opening his eyes and trembling as memory flooded him.

Curling up and starting to cry.

"Sammy? Sam, it's okay!" Dean's voice. Snapping his head up to see his big brother, whole and alive, rushing toward him from the doorway. "It's okay, Sammy. It's all okay," he spoke, not bothering with propriety and climbing into his bed with him, pulling him close, making him warm again.

Sam ended the memory there. Gabriel was crying softly, and they were both cold in that moment.

Kissing Gabriel again, Sam moved his hands, feeling first the life Gabriel was carrying, then the three in him. All healthy, all whole...it was just their parents experiencing this discomfort.

Sam pulled up a warm wave of love, blanketing Gabriel with it. Gabriel's own love met it, and they slipped into sleep moments later.

Morning came...and well, so did Gabriel. Twice, before Sam was done with him. He felt very smug as he left his sleepy, sated **_mate_ **in bed with a gentle kiss to the crown of his head.

He showered and changed, heading down to the kitchen. There, he found Cas and Dean waiting for him. Dean's entire being spoke of uncertainty, but Castiel looked determined...and even more so when he spotted Sam. ...Uh oh?

"Hey guys, what's up?" he said.

Cas opened his mouth, but Dean managed to beat him to the punch. "Cas had an idea. An insane idea."

"Yeah?" Sam spoke, looking from his big brother to his brother-in-law. "What idea is that, Cas?" he addressed, giving the **_Nester_ **the spotlight.

Cas, his feathers ruffled from Dean's statement, blinked and shuffled his wings to settle them back down with a quick flick of movement. "I believe that Dean and I can complete our bond, Sam. If you would be so kind as to monitor us in the process, that is."

Sam carefully cradled the jealously and hurt close, keeping it from his connection to Gabriel. He wanted to do this with his **_mate_**. And it hurt that he couldn't. So he was jealous that yes, Dean and Cas could. Because Sam wouldn't deny them that, and because he was certain he could keep their bodies, and the body of his nephew, safe during the process.

He pushed a warm smile onto his face, looking from Cas to Dean. "So...what's insane about it?"

Dean's feathers ruffled and rucked. "What's insane is that we don't know how much power you'll need for this, Sam! And there is more reliant on your well being than just you," he huffed.

Sam considered for a moment. Dean was right, and he wasn't about to brush that off. He had three lives growing in him. Three fledglings that relied on him, for life, for nutrition, for growth. So he considered how to go about this is the safest way possible.

After a couple of long moments, he raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Okay, I've got it," he spoke.

Dean wasn't resisting, had seen Sam was thinking it over, and he gave a short nod to indicate he was willing to hear. Cas...Cas looked eager to hear as well, and it brought a smile that felt more real than his previous one to his lips.

"I'll play back up. Nariel will set up what he needs and monitor you two--three--and if anything seems to start to be off, I'll step in and get things back on track."

Dean frowned, considering. It was only when he started chewing his lower lip that Sam knew he was close to agreeing. Still, he presented a last argument. "Things can still go South within the space of a second. I don't know if--"

"Dean. I've always had your back. I always will. I'm not letting anything happen to you, Cas, or your son. And nothing to my own children, either. You'd blame yourself if anything happened to mine, and I won't make you live with that sort of guilt. Just...please trust me to be able to handle this. Yeah, we don't fully know what's going to happen, how much is going to be involved in it...but I believe that we'll all make it through okay." He paused, lips twitching in humor. "You could say I'm an angel of faith," he quipped.

Dean huffed a laugh, and Cas grinned in good humor. After a moment, Dean nodded slowly. "Alright. Alright," he said, looking to Cas. He smiled, warm, soft, and loving. "Looks like we're doing this."

Cas beamed and was in Dean's arms in the next second. Sam allowed them a moment before speaking up.

"Not today, though, guys. I'm sorry for that, but we need to give Nariel warning and time to set things up. ...Out in the flower field, where it less likely to affect the compound. Plus...we've got an interview to attend this afternoon. I want that out of the way before this, too," he supplied.

Cas and Dean, still holding one another, looked at him as he spoke. They both looked disappointed, Cas just a bit more than Dean it seemed, but they both saw and understood Sam's reasoning.

"Now...let's make some Dutch babies!"

Castiel startled. "What?"

Dean tilted his head back, laughing bodily at Cas' reaction, and likely the confusion he felt from him as well.

After they took a moment to explain a Dutch baby was food and did not evolve them having sex (after Cas' aghast "I'm not copulating with you, Samuel," to which Sam had blushed brightly and Dean had almost fallen to the floor from laughing so hard), Sam and Dean started to work as Cas watched on, listening to them explain about the German popover pancake.

And, while the angels all loved chocolate, Sam had made the decision to put some lightly crushed blueberries into the Dutch babies instead.

By the time everything was ready--everything meaning Dutch babies, sausage, and bacon--Sam felt Gabriel starting to become much more alert.

He paused by the counter, considering. First, he sent the memory from earlier to Gabriel. The one of Dean and Cas asking about him monitoring them cementing their bond, and the solution Sam had offered.

For a second, there was nothing in response, but then a warm tendril of love brushed him in confirmation that Gabriel had gotten the message just fine, and was alright with it.

Sam smiled warmly at the sensation, sending a wave of love back. And, ' _Breakfast is ready, so hurry that perky ass of yours down here_.'

' _Food! ...Sammy-made food?_ '

' _For the most part, though Dean did help a bit_.'

'... _I need to shower first. But...but food!_ '

' _Shower after, stinky_ ,' Sam teased.

There was an image pushed at him then. Some actor in some show or movie...flipping the camera off.

Sam barked a laugh allowed, making Dean startle and look at him in confusion.

Sam shook his head. "Gabe flipped me off," he explained.

How the angels managed to consistently be at the table in time for breakfast, Sam didn't know. But they were all there, by the time everything was set up and out.

" ** _These are Dutch babies!_** " Dean had told them.

Dutch didn't translate...but babies did, and they all froze, eyes wide in horror, feathers and wings starting to ruck, ruffle, and raise.

Sam slapped his forehead. " ** _Guys, no, they're not made from infants. I...I'm not sure how they got that name, but they're like a...a special kind of pancake from a different type of the world_** ," he said quickly.

Nariel was the first to huff out a laugh, though it was near hysterical in its relief. And it triggered everyone either chuckling or giggling at the silliness of it all.

Dean had the sense to look embarrassed at not thinking to explain what a Dutch baby was before announcing what it was called.

The moment passed, however, and soon everyone had plates heavy with food and had begun tucking in.

" ** _Perhaps_**..." Mefusa began after a few moments of eating and idle conversation. He looked down at Sam, glanced at Dean, then looked back to Sam. " ** _Perhaps this evening, you could...give those interested a uh...lesson in cooking human food?_** "

Sam blinked. ...That was a good idea. And he had offered it up the other day. He didn't know how long the interview would take, but if they left right after lunch, and Becky was waiting for them, they'd definitely be back before dinner. He glanced at Dean, and knowing his brother as well as he did, recognized the same train of thought in him. Dean's eyes met his, and they both smiled, turning those smiles down the table.

" ** _So, show of hands...who all is interested in cooking?_** " Dean spoke.

Every last angel, even Gabriel and Castiel, raised their hands.

Sam tilted slightly, eyeing the kitchen. ...Hm. If the angels all stood in a line around the island counter, and just one of them, himself or Dean, moved about the kitchen, they'd all be able to plainly see what was going on. Dean looked at him, then turned to look at the kitchen. When he turned back around a moment later, it was obvious he'd had the same thought. " ** _Okay. Okay, so...I think you should handle first lesson, and we can switch off for the next...so on and so forth?_** " Dean spoke.

Sam smiled and gave a nod. " ** _Sounds like a plan!_** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imma try and get one more chapper out tonight, and if I'm right, we'll be broaching the interview in that one.
> 
> I might just be starting the chapter and saving it to finish in the morning, though, guys. I'm sorry, but I am feeling an ittle bit tired, and usually when I start to, it kicks into high gear tired without warning. So...we'll see.
> 
> This chapter was a little uneventful, and I'm sorry for that, too, but it's all for the sake of making headway in the story. I know better than to demand anything outta my muse, and for all I know, she's gonna use something I wrote here later on. She's very good at tying things together.


	53. Chapter 53

Once again, Heturi volunteered for clean up. Glips piped up that she'd help. And Mefusa silently began gathering dishes, obviously going to pitch in as well.

Gabriel looked over as Sam approached Nariel in the living area, knowing he was going to ask him about setting thing up for Cassie and Dean-o for the next day.

Keeping that jealousy from Sam had been hard, when Sam had showed him that memory. Yeah, he'd argued against attempting to complete the bond with Sam, but that didn't mean, not in the least, that he didn't want to. He wanted it more than...than anything. But they...unlike Cassie and Dean, they didn't have anyone that could step in if something went wrong. Even if everything went swimmingly for their brothers, it didn't mean something wouldn't go wrong for them. And given what could happen if it did, how very devastating that had the potential to be....

Gabriel looked down at his stomach, gently laying a hand over it. "...Hey there, sparky. We already love you, ya know," he whispered to it. "You and your siblings. We're gonna do all we can to make sure you all stay safe. Mkay?"

Nothing, but he hadn't expected there to be. He had a few months yet before there'd be so much as a kick or a swooping sensation of the fledgling moving around.

His eyes came back up, looking to where Sam was undoubtedly discussing ideas and plans with the grace-healer. ...Sam wouldn't let anything happen to the ones he carried, Gabriel knew. He still worried, with this plan that his **_mate_ **was hatching with Dean, Cas, and Nariel. He couldn't help but be worried. But...but overpowering that worry was a trust he'd never, not even with his brother, experienced before. He trusted Sam with his whole being. And more, with the lives they were responsible for. Their children. Their family. Their friends. He trusted Sam with all of it.

And he carefully kept from letting Sam feel it. Not because he didn't think Sam deserved to know how much he was trusted, but because he didn't want Sam to feel pressured from it, with it.

He watched as Sefir wandered over and wound up in on Sam and Nariel's conversation. Chuckling softly, Gabriel imagined it was going to be some time before he'd get his **_mate_ **back. ...And he did still need a shower. With that, he shot a wave of love to Sam, receiving one back by the time he stepped onto the stairs to make his way up.

When Gabriel came back down later, clean and dressed, feeling very comfy in one of Sam's old shirts that he'd sliced to hell to put on over his wings, he blinked to see Heturi approach him. Frowning in suspicion, he eyed him warily.

Heturi grimaced, but halted a respectable distance from Gabriel, but still close enough for quiet conversation.

" ** _Can I help you?_** " Gabriel asked, when he didn't immediately speak up.

Heturi winced at Gabriel's slightly-cool tone, gaze darting away for a moment as his feathers ruffled in upset. But then his lips pressed together, and his eyes looked back to him determinedly.

" ** _It...you may not welcome it, but...I feel it would be wrong of me not to make a formal apology to you, Gabriel. I-I have come to understand much over the past days. It's all...overwhelming, but...but what is clear, is that I treated everyone wrongly. But most especially, most egregiously, I treated you wrongly. And for that, I am sorry. I deeply apologize_** ," he spoke.

Gabriel was surprised, truthfully. He hadn't expected an apology, ever, from anyone. Hadn't even thought to want one. But here was Heturi, who'd betrayed them and was given opportunity by Sam to make amends, apologizing to him. Part of him, a very vindictive and selfish part, wanted to poke at Heturi, make him uncomfortable, make him regret bothering with the apology. Because it touched the golden angel, made him feel something, and feeling that something made him uncomfortable and he didn't like it.

But it was like Sam had told Charlie the evening before; feeling another's emotions put life in a different perspective. And, he thought, sharing emotions as he so often did with Sam, he couldn't make Heturi regret this. It wouldn't do the other angel any good. ...Plus, it'd piss Sam off if he did.

As Gabriel drew in breath, Heturi looked like he was desperately trying not to cringe away from what was about to be said.

" ** _Thank you_**."

Heturi blinked, staring for a few seconds like he hadn't heard correctly, then like he wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. Then he almost slumped with relief, nodding a bit. For a second, he looked lost, then frowned to himself and nodded again, turning and walking away.

It was a bit awkward, yes, Heturi being unsure if there should be anything more said or done, but ultimately.... Gabriel watched him as he went off. Ultimately, he thought, that'd been something good for Heturi.

And for himself, as well. He smiled and headed off toward the patio, unsurprised to find his brother, brother's mate, and his own mate sitting at a table out there.

Cassie spotted him first and gave a welcoming smile as he approached.

Sam was next, seeing Cassie looking over and following his gaze. When his eyes landed on him, Sam sent forth a wave of warm love...and a heavy trill of arousal.

Gabriel blinked, almost stumbling a step, but he shot a questioning look at Sam as he made it to the open seat and sank down.

' _Sorry. I...I never knew I'd have a thing about seeing you in my clothes_ ,' Sam explained a bare second later, eyes already going back to Dean, who was speaking.

"So you get us all in Tower, I'll help the crew get set up and comfy, and then I guess we...what, all crowd on the sofa for the interview?"

Sam was quiet, then gave a shrug and a tilting nod. "Yeah, I guess so. ...Maybe we should go ahead of time, set up some stuff and...oh. Oh, crap."

"What?"

"...Dammit, I...can you handle lunch? I need to go clean out Tower's fridge. There's going to be so much bad food in there, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole of the place _wreaks_."

"Ah. Yeah, I guess so. As for setting stuff up, don't try and make a spread or something, Sammy. It's gonna be after lunch, not gonna be our fault if they didn't eat. There's water bottles in the fridge, and those'll have kept, so they can make do with that if they need anything at all," Dean said.

"Yeah. Yeah, that works," Sam agreed quietly.

"I'll go with you, help with cleaning," Gabriel offered after a quick beat of silence.

Sam looked up at him. "...It's not gonna smell pleasant," he warned.

Gabriel smirked and give a shrug. "Can't smell worse than Dean-o in the mornings," he quipped.

"Hey! I showered!" Dean objected, sniffing at himself just in case, which made Sam laugh. The older brother huffed. "Uhg, just...go get it taken care of already," he fussed in a petulant tone.

Sam shot him a grin, hand reaching out toward Gabriel. Gabriel mirrored the grin to Dean as he took Sam's hand.

This time he was ready to suddenly not be sitting. Not that he didn't stumble a step anyway, but it wasn't as bad as the last time.

And Sam hadn't been kidding. Tower stunk. "Uhg," he let out, nose wrinkling.

"Yeah...yeah, good thing we have air freshener under the sink. I'm going to open some windows anyway," Sam said, letting go of Gabriel's hand. He pressed a quick kiss to the side of his head, then was walking away from the kitchen area, over to the living area where there was a few windows scattered along the far wall.

Gabriel watched him for a moment, then moved over to the cabinet under the sink. He pulled out a few bottles labeled air freshener, then eyed the trash bags. There were white ones, that he was familiar with, but pushed toward the back were some black ones, and they looked to be massive. Glancing over at the fridge, he decided on grabbing those, setting the roll of them on the counter by the air freshener bottles.

He turned in time to see Sam opening the skylight to add to the air now flushing through Tower and helping to sweep away the bad smells.

Cleaning out the fridge was a lesson in gross. Spoiled meats, fruits, veggies...it was lunch time by the time they had finished up, Sam doing most of the heavy lifting and scrubbing out any mess made by the spoiled items (a bag of carrots had left a weird goop in one of the crisper drawers, for one), but all the same, Gabriel found he had no appetite after all of that.

Sam had taken out the trash, too, then come back, shut the windows up--the smell barely there anymore--and sprayed one of the air fresheners, making everything smell like fresh sheets and clearing the last of the funky smells.

"Alright," Sam spoke finally, putting away everything they'd used during their cleaning. "Let's head back, try and scarf a bit of food...we'll probably want another shower, and then we need to get to the grocery store to meet Becky," he said.

"No food. Uhg. Please no."

"Yes, food. I know you don't feel hungry after that--I don't either--but we don't want to wind up being hungry in the middle of the interview later, and that's what'll happen if we don't eat."

"...Quit that. You're not allowed to make sense or have a point, Sammy. Not right now," Gabriel pouted.

Sam chuckled and moved over, wrapping an arm around his waist. Love spilled from him as he kissed Gabriel's forehead and nuzzled it softly. "Sorry," he said unrepentantly.

Gabriel huffed, but nuzzled into Sam's side. A flicker of warning traced between them, and Gabriel just gave a nod. And then they were in the dining area, and a startled Armaya was there, jumping back with wide eyes, staring for a brief second before skittering off.

Sam stared after her. She was the quietest of the bunch, the lilac winged angel. Gabriel could feel that Sam was concerned about having spooked her.

"She'll be alright, kiddo. I know you were busy almost dying and all, but back when we did our partial-bond thing, she was fighting with the best of 'em. We might've startled her, but we're lucky that didn't wind up with one of us stabbed," he spoke with a heavy trace of humor.

Sam relaxed and chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess so," he said, turning toward the kitchen.

Gabriel followed his gaze to see Dean frowning into a pot. The look on his face had Sam breaking away from Gabriel's side and striding forward.

"What's wrong?" his **_mate_ **asked his older brother as they both walked in.

Dean blinked, looking up...and then proceeded to pout at his little brother. "Why can I never get minestrone right?" he spoke in an equally pouty tone.

Sam's wings gave a short jerk of surprise. "Well, other than the fact that you never attempt it?" he said, peering into the pot and sniffing. "...Crap, I don't think it's salvageable. Here, move, let me see if I can manage it anyway," Sam spoke, taking over.

Dean nodded and back away immediately, watching the younger brother move, adding water, stirring, waiting for things to thin out and simmer, tasting, seasoning, tasting again...on and on it went, before he finally shrugged. "The pasta's overcooked, but it'll have to do. I hate wasting food," he spoke up.

"Thanks, Sammy," Dean said quietly.

Sam chuckled and looked at him. "Why'd you choose minestrone anyway? On the rare occasion you want it, you always have me make it."

"...Well...I didn't think you and Gabriel would be feeling very strong in the stomach department after cleaning Tower's fridge, and I was hoping this would...help," Dean spoke, shrugging as he looked away to dig out bowls.

Fondness toward his brother flowed out of Sam, and it was different than the fondness he often sent to Gabriel. Softer in some ways, with nothing behind it.

"Thanks, Dean-o," Gabriel piped up.

Minutes later, they were all at the table with the other angels, digging in to the soup. It wasn't the best thing the brothers had made, but no one made a noise of complaint, either.

As they ate, Sam and Dean took it upon themselves to tell the angels about the upcoming interview, and what they were going to be divulging during it. Gabriel found himself surprised that no one, not even Sefir, was protesting any of it. Or...they hadn't been until Sam and Dean, without thinking about switching back to English, started talking directly to one another about how they were going to go about divulging their own past and hero identities. Over the past months, all of them, even Meraya and Heturi, had come to understand that heroes and villains kept their real identities secret to protect their personal lives and those in it.

Wings started lifting in surprise as comprehension lit through them. Sam and Dean didn't notice, too engrossed in trying to figure out how simple to keep it.

" _ **You can't be serious**_ ," Sefir finally spoke.

The brothers halted, looking up and seeing everyone had stopped eating and were staring at them.

Sam was the first to recover. " ** _Yes, we are. We're...Sefir, guys, Dean and I are no longer human. That needs to be explained, how it came about. Because there's a high probability that it'll happen again, to other people. A good part of explaining that lays in divulging who we were, who we are. ...And Charlie, she would've taken care of any lingering ties to our personal lives last night. ...Look, with the exception of Charlie? Our family is here. Our friends are here. Our lives before Gabriel and Cas were pretty solitary. Our Dad, the last of our family before, died years ago. Our Mom long, long before that. ...There's just...no reason not to do this and help humans understand what they may need to expect_**."

The angels began to relax, accepting it. ...But they didn't look happy.

The meal continued on in silence after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interview next chapter. Sorry guys. And I don't know when Imma get to it? Might be this evening...my tummy's upset and I need serious caffeine, I think, before I can write more. u.u


	54. Chapter 54

Mefusa and Heturi were the ones to begin clean up, which seemed to be becoming the standard after meals these days.

Gabriel took one last bite of his food as everyone began to part from the table, then stood and followed Sam over to Dean and Cassie's side of the table. Dean's wings were shifting with unease, but his wings were the only thing showing that unease. Beyond that, he looked determined, ready. "Alright, Sam...let's do this," he said as they neared.

Sam nodded. "I'm going to drop you three off at Tower, pick up her crew and their equipment, and bring Becky in last," he spoke.

There was a faint look of objection from Dean, but it quickly faded into a nod. "Ultimately, s'your show here," he responded.

"No. No, it's not. I agreed to it, Dean, but this...this rodeo belongs to all of us. The only reason I'm not bringing anyone else is because none of them can manage enough English to even understand more than passing bits here and there. Because of that, it's on the four of us...two former humans, and two renegade angels," Sam said with a faint smile.

Dean smirked. "Three of which are pregnant. ...Should we say anything about that?"

Sam frowned and huffed, worry pulsing from him. "...Unfortunately, yes. It's gonna cause some hysteria, but hiding it will do no good, probably wind up doing more harm than good in the long run. So...yes, we'll have to divulge that as well. But starting off in this interview, Dean, we're going to let Becky take the reins. She's a reporter, asking questions is her job...and when she runs out, we'll fill in any gaps she missed," he said.

Dean was thoughtful for a second before nodding. "Alright. Let's--"

"I'd like to come, please," the quietest angel spoke up. All eyes turned to Armaya, her six lavender-lilac wings hunched slightly, but her bodily posture straight (bordering on stiff) in determination.

Gabriel went to object, but Sam's chuckle stopped him. "Well, someone pays attention to the English lessons," he spoke in a fond tone. It was then that Gabriel back tracked, realizing that, yes, Armaya had spoken in English. Well, how about that?

"It's not easy, but yes, I've been listening and deciphering as much as I can," she spoke, wings not quite as hunched as they were before.

Sam gave a soft smile, eyes flickering briefly to Dean. Dean was frowning, lips twisted in uncertainty, but he shrugged in short order, and Sam looked back at Armaya. "Alright, huddle in. We're leaving now," he said.

Armaya stepped forward quickly, as though she'd be left behind if she wasn't prompt to obey.

Castiel took her left hand, and Gabriel her right. Dean took Cassie's other hand, then took one of Sam's, and Sam took Gabriel's other hand.

Sam took a deep breath, eyes closing. This would be the largest group of living beings he'd teleported at once, and Gabriel felt the edge of his anxiety about it. He soothed it gently, a faint smile crossing Sam's lips as he did. And then there was that same swooping-wrench sensation in his stomach, and they were all standing in Tower.

Armaya was looking over the new space in interest, releasing their hands. Dean was moving away, picking up a couple of high set stools from the island counter and bringing them toward the living area. Gabriel just stood, watching Sam, stroking his thumb over the back of the hand he still held.

Sam's eyes were still closed as he assessed himself, chewing on his lower lip. Finally, he opened his eyes, smiling down at Gabriel. "'m fine. Wasn't the slightest bit of a strain," he informed.

"That's good," Gabriel shot back, moving and pressing a kiss to his cheek, though he had to stand on his tip toes to do it. "You know you're going to have to experiment with it more, though."

Sam frowned at that, anxiety and worry lancing their connection. "I know. I know, but...I'm...what if I wind up hurting someone when I do? Something that I can't heal? I mean, even if I could heal it, it doesn't take away from having to experience it, but if it's something I can't heal? I don't--"

"Shh, Sammy. ...Look, let's not worry about it for now. We've gotta get this show on the road, right? ...Did I get that phrase right?" Sam laughed and nodded.

"Pipsqueak's right. Go grab 'em, and I'll help 'em get set up," Dean spoke up, from where he'd been moving the coffee table closer to the extra long sofa.

Sam looked over at him, then to where Cas was tugging a sofa chair closer. A fond smile crossed his face, love for his family spilling outta him. He turned, kissing Gabriel's forehead, then pulled his hand away and vanished.

Surprisingly, they had to wait an hour, thereabouts, for Sam to reappear, a hunk of equipment and two humans in tow. "Hey guys, I had to wait a bit for them to show."

"Figured as much. Go on, get Becky so we can get started," Dean spoke, getting up from the very large sofa that the angels had been sitting on while they waited.

Sam gave a short nod and was gone again, and Dean stepped forward, helping the two human men, that Gabriel recognized from the day before, in setting up equipment. Sam was back within a minute, pulling away from Becky immediately as she started looking about in startled surprise, then confusion, tilting her head. "This...this isn't your apartment. Sam? Where are we?" she spoke.

"Save it for the interview, Becky. That's part of what we'll cover," Sam responded, where he'd taken to setting up a large...thing. There was a thin pole center to it, the base of it breaking apart into a tripod for stability, and the top of it was huge and wide, cylindrical in shape. When Sam got it setting up on the floor, he reached up and pulled away some black panels covering an opening, and revealing what looked like a huge light bulb. There was a cord coming off it, too, and Sam moved to it, halting when he couldn't get it to the plug. "Uh, hey, Frank was it? Got an extension cord?" he spoke to the larger of the two humans.

"Yeah, hold on," the man responded, reaching for a bag.

Gabriel sat down, watching everything be set up. He frowned when the lights came on. They were bright, too bright. And they were warming the space quickly.

Sam sensed his discomfort, though, and was heading to the panel on the wall that Gabriel came to associate with a thermostat during their stay here, adjusting the temperature. Gabriel sent him a wave of gratefulness as a panel in the ceiling above him almost instantly flushed cooler air down.

Becky had repositioned the sofa chair that Cassie had pulled over earlier to an angle across from the sofa.

Armaya, ever-quiet, just watched everything from where she was sitting on the low sofa arm at the end of everything.

In all, three of those bulky things Gabe came to understand were video cameras were set up, and Frank moved to each one, checking the angle or something, before he motioned to the tall skinny man with him to man the far one. Becky looked them over, got a thumbs up, then beamed, looking at Sam. "We're ready!"

"Wonderful," Dean muttered flatly, sagging into his seat next to Cassie with a huff. When Sam shot him one of his patented bitch faces, Dean straightened up a bit, his expression becoming more neutral and less begrudging.

Sam walked over, slipping down between Armaya and Gabriel. It left Gabriel and Cassie between himself and Dean. Gabriel smiled slightly, but kept himself from nuzzling into Sam's side. This was going to be aired on TV, possibly the world over. No need to be cuddly and nuzzly in front of a few billion strangers.

"Alright, Becky, this is your show. You ask what you want, and when you're done, say so. We'll volunteer what we can to fill any gaps," Sam explained.

The woman beamed brightly, shuffling a large notepad in her lap. After a moment, she nodded to herself. Her shoulders went back, her smile became something...not rigid, not unkind, just...professional. And Gabriel saw now, what Sam had been saying about Becky. She took this seriously.

"Okay, let's start with names. I'll need them for any voiceover work I do later during editing."

Sam gave a nod. "You know me and Dean. Sam and Dean Winchester," he supplied, then glanced at Gabriel.

"I'm Gabriel Koslok, and this is my brother Castiel," Gabriel supplied.

Becky nodded, then looked at Armaya.

Armaya's feathers ruffled slightly, but she easily supplied, "Armaya Miksen."

Castiel stiffened beside him, and Sam frowned in worry at the surprise he felt out of Gabriel.

Beside him, Cassie was murmuring a soft, "Later," to Dean.

And then all focus was back on Becky. "Thank you. Alright, so, Sam, Dean...let's start with you two, if that's alright. I've...I know you guys from sometime back, but now you suddenly have wings. How long have aliens been hiding out amongst us?"

Sam's lips quirked and he glanced at Dean. Gabriel looked over and saw Dean giving a short roll of his eyes and looking pointedly back at Sam.

Sam huffed, speaking aloud. "You're going to have to answer some questions, too, Dean," he fussed, before turning to Becky. "Less than six months," he replied.

Confusion spread over Becky's face. She paused, considering, then tilted her head. "So you're telling me...that when that first ship arrived roughly four and a half months ago, that's when aliens arrived?" she asked.

"Yes," Sam spoke with a faint smile.

"Okay. But you've been here for years, and you suddenly have wings. How is that?" she spoke, apparently not one to keep with the script she already had, but to follow the subject where it went.

Sam paused for a moment, then nodded. "We're going to veer away from that a moment. Don't worry, I'll come back to it, and answer. But to answer your question, you need more information and context," he began. When Becky gave a short nod of understanding, Sam glanced over at Dean briefly, then back to Becky. "I am the hero known as Chrysalis, and Dean is the one known as Argent," he dropped.

Becky shot up straight in seat, where she'd been relaxed in it before, eyes wide. "Wait--WHAT? How did I..." she started, then frowned in discomfort, shaking her head before sinking back forcibly, biting her lower lip. She thought for a long moment, then blinked and looked back at Sam, giving a short nod, realizing he had more to say.

Sam nodded in return. "This is relevant because of our ability to manifest our energy, and it is the context needed to move forward in the explanation on how Dean and I are...no longer human," he continued. "To continue on, we need to bring up a subject that many still debate on. While the majority of the world agrees upon human beings containing energy and consciousness, not everyone agrees upon what to call it, but brushing those arguments aside, I'm going to settle on calling it a soul."

Sam paused, then cocked his head, and Dean took over the next part automatically while Sam gathered his thoughts.

"Angels--the aliens, mind you--they don't have souls. Their energy, their consciousnesses, they call it grace. And soul doesn't fit what they have, either. It feels different than a soul does."

Becky interrupted here. "Wait, how do you know that? Other than feeling your own, which I imagine comes with pulling forth energy--I wouldn't know obviously--how do you know it's not what a soul feels like?"

"Dean doesn't, but I do," Sam cut in. "As Chrysalis, as a high-level healer, I've always had the ability to feel another's soul, when I heal them."

Becky made an intrigued noise.

"Not to mention," Gabriel added. "I've felt the grace of others in the past, whether in battle or in my role as a scientist. What humans have is vastly different. ...What Sam and Dean have, despite their species change, is still not grace. At their core, they're still mostly human. It's just their bodies that aren't."

"Okay. Okay, let me just...process for a second," Becky spoke. The room feel silent for several long moments, broken up only by Frank and the other man shuffling about the cameras.

Finally, Becky nodded. "Okay. Okay, so humans got souls, angels got grace. And even somehow becoming an angel doesn't change what's inside. Am I keeping up?"

"...More or less. What Dean and I have in us now, it's not grace, but it does feel different than what we had before. Stronger, for one. I developed a few new abilities after my change. Dean...Dean's more recent, so we haven't had a chance to really see what's new for him yet," Sam spoke.

Becky nodded, and Sam paused for a moment.

"Angels...angels can access their grace, in the same way that some humans, heroes and villains, can. But it's different for them," he began.

Cassie spoke up for the first time. "Pulling forth our grace is something that we learn over our formative years, and it's not easy to do, even after years of practice. It's exceedingly rare not to experience discomfort that borders on pain when pulling at our grace."

Gabriel picked up from there. "However, upon arriving here," he began, and he saw a spark of something in Becky's eyes, there and filed away quickly. "...we found out...I, I found out, in being healed by Sam, that when interacting with a given human's energy, with their soul, our grace can...react of its own accord. It...it pools, unwinds, unfurls, raises to the surface on its own."

"We actually have to restrain it, even though...even though there's a new instinct that comes with it that makes us not want to do so. But it's all foreign, and...at the time, we didn't know what would happen if we allowed it forth, so...we restrained it," Cassie spoke.

Becky was glancing back and forth, and Sam was staying quiet, waiting for her to ask a question. Becky's lips pressed into a thin line as she considered. "Something changed," she prompted.

"I was dying," Sam immediately responded. Becky stilled, breath catching as she stared, paling. Sam shot her a faint smile and shrugged. "We've talked about this clinically so far, but I think it's time to talk about the other side of it. ...All I've ever felt before was...what I just call wrongness. Whether it's the presence a villain puts forth, or injury to a person I'm healing, it's always been wrongness. ...The first time I felt Gabriel's grace, it was the first time anything felt right," he began. He took a breath and reached to Gabriel to help him supply information for this next part. Gabriel easily reached back, helping pull the memory up between the both of them, gaps in Sam's memory being filled in. "I was stabbed in the back during an attack on the second alien ship," he started, closing his eyes and focusing in on his own memory of it. He frowned a bit. "I think my spinal cord was severed. I...I lost feeling pretty quickly."

There was a motion beside them, and Gabriel glanced over to see Dean clutching tight to Cassie's hand. Looking up, his expression held absolutely nothing, but his eyes held a deep pain.

"I tried to heal myself when I realized something was wrong, but...but I was already too far gone."

Gabriel looked over at Becky. "I was there at that point, in front of him, when he said it. When he said, 'I'm dying,'" he spoke, voice much more quiet than he'd expected.

Sam's hand found his in that moment, squeezing softly, a wave of reassurance spilling into him. ' _I'm here, Gabe. I'm here,_ ' he whispered softly down their link.

Sam opened his eyes, looking at Becky's openly shocked and largely devastated expression. He gave her a weak smile and a shrug. "I was. And...and I saw Gabriel there, and I just...I wanted to feel the only right thing I'd ever felt again, one more time. I managed to lift my hand, to pull my energy forth--"

"I took his hand immediately, and I didn't hold back. My grace surged up and spilled over. Through him, into Sam's soul--"

"There was heat--"

"There was pain--"

"There was white in my vision--"

"There was power I'd never felt--"

"I lost consciousness."

"I was left with the power that had built, and a slew of villains fighting my people around us. The energy had to be released. So focusing on the humans around us, the villains trying to maim, kill, and capture...I let it loose."

Becky stared, eyes darting back and forth between them. The entire room was hanging onto their words, but it was Dean that spoke up next. "The power Gabe let forth incinerated the villains to the point that, by the time any heroes, myself included, arrived, they had long since been piles of ash on the ground."

The reporter took a deep breath, forcing herself deep back into her seat, taking a few long moments to recover.

Sam moved, pressing a kiss to the side of Gabriel's head, then moved, slipping away from him and heading to the kitchen. He came back with an armful of water bottles, starting to pass them out. Each and every person took the offered bottle with a grateful smile, not bothering to break the heavy silence over the room.

Sam sat back down, and a moment longer, Becky was back in control of herself, sitting up straight in the chair again, water bottle half empty and tucked between her thigh and the side of the seat. "The hero Chrysalis is known to have an impenetrable state and winds up largely unable to be harmed in action," she stated, her tone lilting in question.

Sam's eyes darted to the side, and he huffed a sigh. "...There's way around that. Finding a metal strong enough, for one. Catching me off guard before I can harden my cells, which is far more likely in current conditions. ...But I'd prefer that not be made known to the public?"

"...Mm. I'll see about leaving it on the editing room floor, if I can," Becky proffered.

Sam gave a short nod of appreciation, and Becky's gaze went to Dean, concern on her face.

"So--"

"Nothing nearly as dramatic," he cut in with a chuckle.

"It was an accident," Cassie spoke quietly, cheeks flushed.

Gabriel couldn't help a cheeky grin at his little brother, making his feathers fluff in agitation.

Becky stared at them with sharp eyes, trying to read the situation, trying to determine if she wanted to ask. She pursed her lips, apparently deciding against it, and looked at Sam.

"So...you're aliens now," she ventured slowly.

"Mm," Sam hummed in agreement. And then he gave a lazy smile. "But there is so much more to all of it. For now...well, we've taken this interview out of your hands, and I imagine you'd like that control back. So...ask what you will," he offered.

Becky beamed in gratefulness, giving a short nod. Her eyes went to Armaya, then Gabriel, and finally Cassie. "What brought you here?" she asked.

Gabriel and Cassie grimaced tightly.

Armaya spoke up when they paused a beat too long. "For my ship, we were chasing down Gabriel and Castiel. They had been marked as traitors, and though their ship had been sabotaged, the...I think the appropriate term would be council...a group of leaders on our planet, they wanted them tracked down to ensure they were dead." When Becky frowned in confusion, Armaya took a breath and continued on. "Gabriel and Castiel had found the council's plans to destroy the life, the sentient life, on a neighboring planet in our solar system. They did what no one else bothered to even want to do, and not only sabotaged the device that would've been used, but warned the race on that planet, thus effectively cutting off our ability to enact any plans against them."

Becky's eyes were wide, but the reporter immediately spilled forth, "Why were your people trying to take over another planet?"

"Our planet's core was cooling, dying," Gabriel spoke up this time. "The whole of the planet was slowing, there were gravitational distortions and displacements. ...People were dying, and the worst of it had yet to come. ...They were desperate," he said with a small shrug.

"It doesn't make the council's decision right," Armaya said quietly, slowly looking over at Gabriel. "...It doesn't make the lack of resistance against that course of action right."

Gabriel stared at her, surprised. He felt a curious prod from Sam and looked at him. ' _Later_?' he responded to the prod. Sam just gave a short nod, looking back at Becky. Gabriel shot a grateful smile to Armaya, then followed Sam's gaze.

Becky was frowning a bit. "Okay, so let me see if I've got all this right, so far," she said, looking at each of them before deciding to settle on Sam. None of that smitten adoration she'd shown when they ran into each other the day before was there. She was being purely professional here. "This alien planet, which I imagine is some distance away, was dying, and the people on it, the angels, they decided they were going to smite the holy hell out of--"

Dean barked out a laugh suddenly. All eyes went to him. "Sorry! Sorry, you're...you're not wrong, but you're putting it in biblical terms, Becky. Can't help it, it's funny."

Becky smirked and shrugged. "That's probably how I'm going to put it to the viewers, honestly. I mean, yeah, they're aliens--you're aliens, but you look like beings straight outta the bible, and no matter what I tell people, there's going to be the total crazies out there that see nothing but that. Might as well, right?"

Sam was thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know. I'd at least mix analogies on it, if I were you, so that there's a line there, and it's clear that even though we look like messengers of God, we're not. ...I really would not like to be worshipped, thank you," he added.

"Sam...Sam have you ever looked at the online following you have as Chrysalis?" Becky spoke.

Sam blanched. "Don't tell me--I don't wanna know."

"Mm...I'd guess you really don't," Becky spoke lightly. "But, we're getting off track. Okay, so angels were going to raze a planet and take it over, but these two stood up where the rest of their species failed to do so and had to tear off into space because of it, and somehow found their way here. Right so far?"

When she got nods of confirmation, she nodded to herself as well. "Then...then y'all did like a twisted Vulcan mind meld or something, and bam, now you and Dean are aliens. ...Right?"

"...Uhm...no. No, this...that part is important, Becky. That needs to be relayed to the public more than anything else in this," Sam spoke.

Becky frowned, staring quietly before her eyes widened. "They're coming, aren't they? The rest of 'em?"

"Yes," Armaya interceded. Becky's attention was drawn to her once again. "In all, there have been three ships that have landed on this planet. Gabriel and Castiel's, mine led by my captain, Sefir, and a third ship. The third ship was reached by the beings called villains first. ...There were only two survivors," she spoke, glancing at Sam for a brief second before looking back at Becky. "One of those survivors...he didn't take the time to understand anything of human culture. He understood well that there was threat here, but...but he saw safety more than threat, I believe, and he activated a beacon to draw our people here. Once the beacon was activated, there was no way to cut off the call. Even if we deactivated it now, it would still draw the others."

"So we left it active, and set up a broadcast surrounding the planet. We have to hope they heed that broadcast and the warning we put in it," Sam added.

Becky frowned. "Can they...can they wipe us out from space?" she asked quietly, seriously.

"No," Gabriel stepped in. "Well...let me put it this way. The trip here is not an easy one to make. It'd be a one-way thing, and their supplies would be dangerously low by the time they arrived, if they weren't already in that state in the first place. If they were to attempt to wipe out life on this planet without landing and setting something up? They'd destroy the atmosphere, and basically be killing themselves in the process," he told her.

"...So they can land and set something up and kill us all that way?" Becky spoke. Despite her words, her voice was even, showing that she wasn't panicking...just seeking answers.

"That's also a no--" Gabriel began, but Cassie cut in.

"When Gabriel sabotaged the device they had to wipe out our sister planet's life, he also effectively destroyed the element needed to pull it off. It would take several years to mine enough of it again to build such a device once more. There was no stock pile of it, and it's an exceedingly difficult substance to work with."

Becky nodded slowly. "Okay. Okay. Uhm," she spoke, looking down at the notepad on her lap. She frowned at it, grabbing her water bottle up and taking another pull from it, recapping it and settling it back against her thigh. "I...I noticed yesterday," she began, looking back up and her eyes roaming over the five angels sitting across from her. "Some of you have two wings, some six. What's the deal there?"

Armaya shifted uncomfortably where she sat, feathers ruffling slightly. That had Gabriel wondering just how much she listened to all the goings-on around, if she knew about the differences in their biologies, and was concerned about how it'd be taken. Risking a glance at her...yes, that seemed to be exactly it.

And so, Gabriel grinned like the little shit he knew he could be. He saw his mate's eyes widen as he felt the spike of playfulness from him, but Gabriel's eyes were on Becky, and he was speaking then. "Oh, it's a pretty major one. See, if you have two wings, you're a **_Nester_**. Doesn't translate, sorry. Anyway, you're a _**Nester**_ , and you are able to further familial lines. In other words, have angel-babies," he supplied with a grin.

He paused there, watching as her eyes slid over to Sam slowly.

Sam, who was mortified, and more than a little angry with him. But Gabriel was not going to be repentant about it. He was proud of the fact that Sam was carrying three little ones--three fledglings that Gabriel had put there.

Sam huffed out heavily. "There were so many better ways to ease into that, Gabriel," he growled.

"You're a fucking dick," Dean snapped lowly.

Gabriel didn't bother looking at either of them, shrugging.

Becky's eyes had trailed down to Sam's stomach at that point.

Sam's instincts were reacting to that. ...And Cassie's. Their wings were raising in threatening displays.

Becky's eyes caught on to the movement a moment later, and then she met Sam's eyes. Her mouth opened, then clicked shut. She frowned tightly, took a deep breath through her nose, blew it out carefully through her mouth. "So...either sex can bear children, if they have two wings?" she ventured.

Sam blinked once, and his wings gave a flick and settled back down. "Yes. And, on extremely rare occasion, a six-winged, a **_Sentinel_** , can as well. However, those pregnancies are high-risk," he spoke, leaving it at that. Gabriel was thankful for that, too.

"Mm. ...Guys, this...this is a lot," Becky spoke, breaking her reporter facade for a moment, the edge of hysteria in her eyes as her gaze darted between them. "I mean...I'm supposed to take all this to the world?"

"Yes, Becky. Look, personally, I don't trust you. But as a professional...your work is good. Better than. I trust you to be able to tell this right, that you're gonna do the best you can with it, and not cast things in a bad light deliberately, as a lot of reporters would do, just to up their ratings. And...and the world needs to know what to expect. It's gonna be a bit before anyone arrives. At the least, a month, but if we're lucky, we'll have a bit more time than that. So hopefully in that time, any initial hysteria will subside, and...and we'll be able to welcome the angels without any huge issue on either side. That's the hope here--that we can have some sort of balance between both species," Sam spoke.

Slowly, Becky nodded, seeming to calm in the wake of the explanation. Finally, she looked down at her notepad again. "Well...I couldn't really come up with much in prep for this, and you did as you said--you gave me more than I thought to ask for. So...I guess that's it, guys," she said, looking up with a bright smile.

Sam chuckled, nodding. "Good. None of the angels have learned to cook just yet, and we're doing the first lesson on that tonight. Let's get everything broken down and I'll get you guys back, so we can go home," he said, standing and stretching.

Gabriel took the time to get in a good appreciative glance, then went about helping to unplug things and nearly breaking some lights as he tried to help take them back down.

All in all...he'd say this hadn't been as bad as he feared. Becky hadn't so much as stared dreamily at Sam even once...and he was pretty sure the surprisingly shrewd woman understood that his **_mate_ **was very much off limits now.

Within an hour, Becky and her crew were gone, and Sam had brought them home.

The angels were already gathered eagerly by the kitchen when they arrived, making Sam chuckle, and Dean laugh.

Gabriel hoped things wouldn't get too hard in the upcoming months.


	55. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhg, you guys. Uhg. There was an impromptu party at my house last night, and it was noon before I could get to my laptop. Just...uhg.

The cooking lesson had gone decently. It wasn't anything hands on, really. It wouldn't be for a few days, at least.

When Sam and Gabriel came down the next morning, Sam was a bit unsurprised to see that Armaya was lingering by the island counter. She seemed the sort to silently sit in the background and learn what she could, to be unnoticed as much as possible as she did so.

However, as Sam started to pull out ingredients for steak and cheese omelettes, he found himself curious about something Gabriel hadn't wound up explaining the day before.

"Sooo," he spoke, without looking up as he took to slicing up steak to fry up. "Anyone want to tell me why there was such a reaction outta Gabe and Cas to the name Armaya Miksen?" he continued.

He didn't bother looking up, but he could almost feel the discomfort in the air, and knew it wasn't from Gabriel, because his **_mate_ **was mostly broadcasting curiosity in regards to Armaya.

Silence reigned for a long moment, before Armaya finally spoke. "My crew does not know my true last name. I bore my mother's name for my enlistment, Nurio. But...I'm uncertain as to why I decided, in that moment, in that place, during the...the interview, to reveal my father's last name. He is on the council," she said.

Sam let out a hum of acknowledgement, finishing the piece of meat he was working on before looking up at her. Her wings were carefully held tight to her back, her expression careful and closed off. He gave a soft smile. She was afraid of being judged for the actions of her family.

"...Do you know what homophobia is, Armaya?" he spoke suddenly. She blinked, wings jerking in surprise at what seemed to be a subject change. Slowly, with a confused frown lighting her face, she shook her head. He felt Gabriel's confusion lighting down their connection as well.

Sam moved, getting a clean cutting board and knife after depositing the dirty ones into the sink and washing his hands. When he came back and started in on the onions, he spoke.

"Homophobia is the term given to label a rejection of two consenting individuals of the same sex being together. The term suggests it's a fear; it's not. It's a hatred. People have been killed for loving someone that had the same sex as themselves," he spoke. Horror and sickness washed over him from Gabriel, but he kept his eyes on his task. "My father was homophobic, Armaya. Dean...Dean was smarter than I was, and whenever he was attracted to someone of the same sex, he buried it and carefully kept it hidden. ...At first, I did, too. ...But some things changed and I thought, believed that no matter what, he was still my father, he'd still love me because I was his son, and--" he paused, stilling his hands before they slipped and he had to toss some onions for blood contamination. "...Well, he didn't. Worse, he went after the boy I had my heart on at the time," he spoke. He finally looked up to see horror and confusion on Armaya's face. He gave a shrug. "The point of this is, Armaya...you are not your father, you are not your family. Family...family is what you make of it, who you choose it to be. Whatever sins your father decided on, they are not yours, and you don't need to feel like you have to bear the weight of them. Okay?"

It took a fair moment for his words to sink in, for her to move past her horror and understand the point of the past he'd spoken about to her. Slowly, she nodded. "...Thank you, Sam," she spoke softly.

Sam gave a soft smile and went to resume slicing onions, when Gabriel's hand clutched tightly to his forearm. He was still emanating horror, and though Sam anticipated the words after that grip, it didn't stop him from flinching. "What did he do to you?"

Sam swallowed and turned his head. "Gabe, la--"

"He beat him," Dean's voice came from near the fridge. He stood there, Cas behind him, horror on his face as well. Dean's expression was dull, pained, as it had been that day. "He beat him, and beat him, until Sam had no energy with which to heal himself further. And for good measure, he kicked him in the ribs, breaking a good many of them...and then went after the other kid," he spoke, voice carefully calm.

Gabriel's grip tightened, and it was painful, but it was nothing under the pain spilling over their link. ...And then there was anger as he spun on Dean. " ** _Where the fuck were you??_** " he yelled.

Dean's eyes went to the floor, his wings dropping low. "Watching."

Gabriel made to lunge, but Sam quickly caught him, as gently as he could manage, around his upper stomach, pulling him back against his chest.

"Shhh, Gabe, shh-" he tried, but Gabriel was having none of it, was fighting as bodily as he dared, still aware in some place of his mind that their were precious lives being carried by both of them.

"What the fuck do you mean WATCHING?!" he roared, trying to get to Dean.

"Cas, take him to the living room for now," Sam spoke above the din of snarls and furious shouts out of his mate.

And Cas tried, he did, but Dean still blamed himself over it all, even to this day, and wouldn't budge.

So Sam took a deep breath and pulled Gabriel under, buried him in the memory, showed him every last word, every last hit, every bit of nuance to what had gone down.

_"What did you just say?" his father had hissed._

_But despite the warning in his voice, Sam was convinced that his father wouldn't hurt him. Since Dean's eighteenth birthday, since that whole mess had gone down, he'd been more open with them both. "I'm going to the Junior formal with Trevor," he repeated._

_Dean was in the entry of the kitchen, holding their father's evening beer that he was bringing to him. Their father was sitting on the sofa in front of the TV, but he rose in the next instant._

_The pure hatred in his father's eyes was the only warning he got before the blow sent him sprawling to the ground. "You fucking little fairy," he spewed. And he said so much more, but Sam's memory was hazy after a few more blows, most centered around his head._

_He turned his head, seeing his brother staring in open shock and horror. Their eyes met, and for a second, just one, he wanted Dean to help. But then he decided against it, because he knew his brother better than their father did, and he didn't want Dean to accidentally wind up with the ire on him. So he gave a jerk of his head, silently telling him not to step in._

_A couple of blows later, he heard his brother try to say something anyway. He wasn't sure what, but his father was close enough that he could hear his response of, "This faggot is not my son!"_

_Knowing that would make Dean say something, just for the sake of defending him, Sam pushed up a wet, bitter laugh. "Who'd want a closet case for a father anyway?" he spoke._

_The words worked, served their purpose. The beating went on as he healed himself, as John pushed the limits of his own endurance, until finally, Dean broke and started pleading, "Dad, please, please, you're killing him! DAD!" he yelled._

_For whatever reason, their father decided to spare him, to listen to Dean's pleas. He stood from where he'd been kneeling over Sam, then kicked him hard in the side, something cracking hard, several somethings. And then he walked out the door._

_Dean was at his side in an instant, and there were tears streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry, Sammy, I...'m sorry!" he pleaded. Sam shook his head, tired and aching and losing consciousness._

_"Suck it up, jerk," he slurred, and everything went black._

When they surfaced, Gabriel was still in his arms, and devastation was written across their bond. He leaned down, nuzzling into the back of his hair.

"It...it doesn't...it's not right," Gabriel spoke brokenly.

Sam looked up to see Dean watching them, expression pained as though he'd been right in the memory with them.

"...It's not. But you need to understand that...though our father had made his hatred for same-sex relationships known before that, we never expected he'd react like that to one of us. We trusted that he loved us enough to not go so far as to hurt us like that, more had a fear he'd kick us out for it, but...we didn't expect that. We...we were both kinda in shock, Gabe. But it's not Dean's fault. ...No more than it is mine. Okay?" he spoke gently.

Gabriel drew in a shaky breath, then gave a nod. Sam pressed a kiss to the back of his head, then slowly let him go.

Heturi was somewhere off to the side, behind Cas, looking about confusedly when Sam looked up again. He opened his mouth, but Sam caught his eye and gave a short shake of his head. Heturi nodded in response, concern about his features, but he slowly padded over to take up a spot by Armaya.

With that, Sam resumed work on breakfast.

By the time the meal was over, Gabriel had mostly recovered, but he was still a bit quiet, both in their bond, and in his quips and smiles. The other angels seemed to notice, too, if their concerned glances were any indication.

Cas was being quiet, too, and it had Sam wondering if Dean had figured out memory sharing yet, and if he'd shown him that event as well.

Sam huffed out a sigh after he finished off his food, setting the fork down.

He frowned at it, then deliberately lifted it and dropped it against the plate.

Muffled.

He reached out, hand meeting Gabriel's, holding tight, eyes lifting across the table, his vision starting to tunnel, pain starting to flare. He didn't get a chance to speak.

Cold. It was so cold and icy, and...he was in water, bobbing up and down in the water.

He turned. There was a plane fuselage, cracked wide open, spilling people into the water. Some were dead, some unconscious, some still strapped into seats.

Surprisingly, there wasn't much in the way of flames of the wreckage.

There was a young man close to him, staring in horror as he clutched to a seat that bobbed above the water.

There was so much pain, fear, and panic in the air, it was something he could almost taste. It was sweet, but with a tinge of sickness to it that turned his stomach.

He turned again. Where was this? There was water, a glacier...Arctic? Antarctic? He had not a clue.

The fuselage was starting to sink. ...It would pull all these people under, even the man near him that was furthest from the wreckage.

He twisted again. No details, no sign of the plane's tail, or the flight number...nothing!

Pain lanced him again and he felt it trying to pull away. He grasped at it desperately. Something, anything! He had to prevent this!

The young man turned suddenly, almost like he felt Sam's desperation.

Impossibly, their eyes met. _Help me._

_I will. I will._

_Save me, please._

_I will, but help me do it._

_Adam Milligan._

_We're coming, hold on._

He shoved it away, snapping back to see the entirety of the table close, hovering about him...him and Gabriel. Sam's eyes quickly went to his mate. Gabriel was pale and panting, his eyes soon meeting Sam's.

Gabriel had seen it. With the connection open, the pain hadn't been nearly as bad as normal, and Gabriel had apparently been along for the ride.

As one, they turned to face Dean. "Adam Milligan," they spoke as one.

Dean's brow furrowed; he'd been concerned seconds earlier, but now he looked confused. "Who?"

Sam let out a short noise, finally pulling from Gabriel's hand. Understanding and acknowledgement came from his **_mate_** , and they willingly shut off their connection, rather than have it snap on them.

"Get Moon--" was all Sam heard from Gabriel as he pulled at his abilities, vanishing from the compound.

In the next moment, he was in the air above the icy water.

...It hadn't happened ye...

He looked up and halted that thought. Shit, it was happening now. The fuselage was coming apart even as it fell from the sky. Sam started moving, teleporting, snatching up people before they could hit the water, before they could meet their death, taking them to the only safe space he could think of that wouldn't have them freaking out at alien beings--Tower.

He couldn't save them all. Logically, he knew that. He lost a good few.

Adam was not one of them, and he stared at Sam in recognition that made Sam curious, but it could be addressed later.

Over and over, back and forth, until he was sure he'd gotten everyone, even those that hadn't made it, putting them in a different part of Tower so their families would have something to put to rest.

When he had them all, he landed in Tower, opening the link with Gabriel back up; it was stretched, this far apart, but it wouldn't really hurt them. ' _I'm alright. Only five dead. Let Dean know I'm in Tower?_ '

' _Yeah. Love you, kiddo_.'

Sam sent a pulse of love back, then looked over the people staring at him in open shock.

"You all are in Tennessee, the city of Chattanooga. If you had your cell phone on you, and managed not to get it wet, it should work. Emergency services will be inbound sho--"

"Wait! My husband, he's--" a woman began, pushing through the crowd.

Sam frowned as she looked around to confirm to herself that she didn't see him.

"I'm sorry," he said, drawing her attention. "I've done everything I could, did all I could. There were a few people that didn't make it."

"...I...I need to see," she spoke desperately.

It was Adam that stepped forward before Sam could speak again. "Are you sure? Do you want to see him like that, remember him like that?"

Her lower lip trembled, eyes brimming with tears, but to her credit, she looked to actually be considering the words instead of brushing them off. Finally, she swallowed and gave a short nod. "I need to be certain," she said.

Sam stepped forward, offering her his hand. She looked at him, then his wings as she reached to take his hand. Sam didn't say anything, instead wordlessly leading her down the hall, to the sparring room, where he'd carefully laid out the five bodies. He stepped in and moved to the side, and in an instant, she was shooting forth to the one second to the end, dropping to her knees above his head, a sob wrenching out of her.

Sam closed his eyes, clenching his fists. He'd tried, he'd really tried...but it hadn't been enough, and now this poor woman was without the man she loved.

He opened his eyes. She had the man's head in her lap now, brushing his dark, wet hair away from his eyes. There was so much love, so much loss, that Sam could see in her eyes, even from this odd angle, from this distance.

He stepped forward, until he was standing at her side.

Slowly, the woman looked up at him. "How do I do this without him?" she asked softly.

Sam took a breath, then sighed and shook his head. "It's gonna be hard. Some days, just breathing is going to be too much. But you get up, you shower, you put one foot in front of the other, and you keep on. Because even though he's not here, he wouldn't want you giving up. Because even though you want to be with him, even though he may want to be with you, he'd still want you to try and go on. And in time, it will hurt less, I promise you that. In time...in time, much as it hurts, you may find someone else, and it may be everything you want, everything you need...everything, and more," he told her.

She stared at him, understanding dawning on her features. "Who was it?"

"Her name was Jess. She was...she was light and love and laughter. She was witty and smart. She was too good for me, and she let me know it," he said with a soft chuckle. It faded. "...I was Chrysalis. And I wasn't careful enough. She paid for it."

The woman's saddened gaze moved back down to her deceased husband, and devastation took over her features. "...I loved him so much," she breathed out. "It hurts," she sobbed.

"I know. I'm sorry I...I'm sorry," Sam offered up.

The woman gave a nod, and they stayed there for some time.

Finally, though, Dean walked in, coming up beside them. It spoke to how long they'd been there; getting from the compound to Tower was a two hour flight.

When Sam looked up at him, he blinked to see Adam lingering in the doorway, staring over the bodies.

Dean glanced back with a frown, then looked at Sam with a shrug. " ** _Dude wouldn't leave,_** " he supplied.

" ** _That's good. ...Dean, when I had my vision, I couldn't get any details out of it, not location, not flight number...I was only able to teleport there by feel and instinct. ...But in the vision? He looked at me. He communicated with me. And what's more? He recognized me when I showed up, even though I managed to come in seconds before the vision took place_**."

Dean frowned. " ** _That's...hm_** ," he murmured, lost in thought as he tried to hash out just what that meant.

" ** _Yeah_** ," he shot back.

More movement in the hallway, and then coroners were entering the room, filing past Adam and heading for the bodies.

The woman almost put up a resistance...but in the end, she leaned down, pressed a last kiss to her husband's forehead, then stood and allowed him to be taken away.

When they came back to the living area of Tower, Sam smiled to see Gabriel, as well as Cas, lingering near the sofa. Sam moved swiftly toward his mate, pulling him into his arms, nuzzling against him.

"You okay? I hated leaving you like that right after, but I got the sense there wasn't time to spare," he murmured.

"Head is still ringing a bit, but I think I'm alright. Check on sparky?"

Sam blinked, pulling back to see Gabriel gesturing to his stomach. Sam chuckled. "Sparky? Really? We are not naming this one that," he chided.

Gabriel grinned broadly as though he'd been challenged. ...Crap. Sam shook his head and held his hands in front of Gabriel's stomach, pulling his energy forth. He smiled warmly. "Stronger by the day," he murmured softly in assurance.

He blinked as Adam neared, feathers fluffing just slightly as he looked at the young man who was glancing about somewhat nervously.

All other humans had left Tower at this point. It was just the angels, and Adam.

"So, ah...I'm not entirely sure what happened," the man began, meeting Sam's eyes. "One second, I'm doing sudoku on my way for an Alaskan cruise I won off a radio contest. Then I'm...I'm in the water, but not really? And...you're there. And I couldn't talk, but I could _think_ , and I...I _heard you thinking_ , and...what the hell? Do you--"

"It's alright, take a deep breath, okay? Just...breathe in, and breathe out, steady and even, okay?" Sam spoke softly, turning to face him fully. "...You accessed your energy, Adam. Something in you knew there was danger and activated, and you accessed your energy. As for how I was there...I get visions, premonitions, or things about to happen, or actively happening. ...Beyond that, that we were passing thoughts to one another? That's...that's new to me for these visions. And while my power has changed recently, I think it was the both of us interacting that managed that."

"Okay. Okay, so...what does that mean for me? What do I do?" he asked.

Sam looked over at Dean, where he stood next to Cas, and their eyes met. Dean looked at Adam.

"I'd reach out to whoever you got waiting at home, let 'em know what happened, and that you need a few days," he supplied.

Adam looked at him with a faint frown of confusion, but shook his head and gave a shrug. "No one back home. School's on break, too," he supplied.

Sam nodded. "Alright...if you think you can handle about a dozen people speaking a non-Earth language, we're going to take you with us, and help you map out what all you can do with your energy."

Adam's eyes moved to Sam, then to his wings. "I...there's been a lot of rumor on social media...you guys are aliens, right?"

Sam chuckled and gave a shrug. "Dean and me? More or less, yeah. The others, definitely," he supplied.

Adam was in thought for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright. Alright, yeah," he said, looking back up at him.

Sam nodded, then gestured for Adam to move closer. When the young man stepped forward, Dean put a hand on his shoulder, taking Cas' hand. Cas took Gabriel's hand, Sam took Gabriel's other hand, and then placed a hand on Adam's other shoulder. "This is going to feel weird," he warned. And then they left Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, sooooo...I have a mostly hate thing for John. Yeeehhh...  
> So I'm not totally sorry on that front.
> 
> Also, I was thinking my muse was going to do something else for this chapter, but she said, "HEY! I KNOW! Let's sneak in Adam!"  
> ...I shrugged and nodded.  
> I'll try for another chapter today, but I'm feelin' lazy u.u


	56. Chapter 56

The vision...experiencing that, it had been...strange. And painful, much like that hangover many weeks ago. But to be sitting at the table about to help with clean up, and then to be suddenly so cold, feeling such panic in the air, seeing images he'd never witnessed before and instinctively understanding what he was seeing...that was strange.

So was moving without trying to. After it was over, he realized that Sam had had control during it. That Sam, used to these things, had moved to seek out details.

...What he found, was a new hero.

He'd gone and saved so many people, all but five of the flight passengers, gotten them all to safety, while Dean had gotten ahold of Moon Queen and gotten people sent to Tower to help out, once Sam had stopped long enough to let them know where to go.

And then the two **_Guardians_ **had decided to bring Adam back.

To his credit, Adam barely stumbled at the teleportation, though he had already experienced it once and probably had understood enough to know that it was about to happen again.

The human turned, taking in the dining room behind him, then looked forward to the kitchen beyond Dean and Cassie, and then over to his left where the living area sat...along with the majority of the angels, waiting for news on what had happened following Sam's most recent vision.

Sam and Dean had released his shoulders, allowing him freedom to move about.

Dean was suddenly frowning, tilting his head. "Yeah, I'm here," he spoke aloud. Gabriel glanced over, seeing the barest bit of his com sitting in his ear. He was frowning, and Adam was staring in confusion. "Now? Uh...okay, okay, hold on," Dean spoke, looking up at Sam. "Moon Queen's wanting to come out. Like, now," he said.

Sam blinked, frowning slightly, but nodded. He turned and placed a kiss to the side of Gabriel's head, releasing his hand and vanishing.

Adam blinked, staring a bit at Gabriel...and then his eyes moved over to Dean and Cas, and their hands still held together. A scant few seconds passed and he looked over at Gabriel again. "Stupid as it seems, after having nearly drowned a few hours ago...I'm thirsty. Is it alright if I--"

"Water bottles are in the fridge. Hardly anyone around here cares for the tap," Gabriel offered with a faint smile.

Adam nodded, and by the time he reached the fridge, Sam was back with Charlie. She was mostly in normal clothes, like most humans wore--jeans and a shirt that said Mischief Managed on it, but this time she had a mask on her face. The shape was a bit odd, Gabriel thought, and took up more of her face than the ones Sam and Dean had once worn. It was a soft white that bordered on being pink.

As the others approached, Gabriel glanced back at them, before turning back to her. "Welcome back, Moon Queen," he spoke, hoping his people would pick up enough to remember not to address her as Charlie.

Moon Queen shot him a grateful smile, but her eyes were dancing about until...until they landed on Adam. She was staring at him assessingly, and Sam and Dean were watching her with open curiosity. Apparently this was not how things usually went down with...with whatever process they had for new heroes.

Adam, oblivious to the attention from Moon Queen, was walking back toward Sam, whom he probably felt he knew best out of everyone here, his eyes moving over the group of angels now in the dining area.

"Adam Milligan?" Moon Queen addressed quietly when he was but a foot away from the group of the five of them.

He blinked and looked up, lowering the water bottle from his lips. "Uh...yeah, yeah, that's me," he said, capping the bottle and reaching out his hand.

Smiling gently, she took it, giving a small shake before releasing. "I'm Moon Queen. I'm kinda a uh...behind-the-scenes hero. Like a dispatcher for emergency services," she supplied.

Dean chuckled. "She's underselling herself, but it's close enough," he chimed.

Moon Queen rolled her eyes, lightly thwapping his chest, but for the most part, she kept her eyes on Adam.

"Though I'm sure you aren't going to care for the reminder...I'd like to say sorry about your mother," she began. Adam frowned uncomfortably, looking a good bit saddened as he nodded. Sam's eyes were on Moon Queen, gaze assessing. Gabriel could feel him trying to determine her train of thought, her logic and reasoning, her motive for the present situation. "...But that's not why I'm here, not at all. I'm not even here because you very well could wind up amongst my hero contacts, should you choose to go down that path. Typically, I wait until you have a better idea of your abilities and for you to make a decision between civilian life or hero life," she told him.

Adam tilted his head. "Okay. So...then why are you reaching out already?" he asked.

Moon Queen paused, her lips pursing for a moment, before she sighed. "I'm what's called a technopath, but even for me, there's just some information I can't access. Things that need confirmation because they're too well hidden, or because the records are buried and from before the real start of the technological age," she explained. "...Adam, I would like you to please confirm the identity of your father for me."

Sam froze, body and mind locking down.

Adam's expression shuttered, bordering on angry. "I'd prefer not to discuss him," he spoke, hissing the last word.

Sam's gaze moved slowly from Moon Queen to Dean.

"I...I can understand, but Adam, you may have surviving family. Wouldn't you care to know them?" Moon Queen spoke.

Dean's eyes widened, wings shifting higher and higher in slow realization.

Adam scoffed. "If they're like that asshole, definitely not," he muttered.

Here, Sam released the hold he had on his emotions, misery sweeping him, as well as a well of hope.

"Don't you think they might be afraid of the same with you?" Sam spoke, turning his head toward Adam.

Adam blinked, looking at Sam with a faint frown. "...I never thought about it, honestly," he admitted.

Dean's eyes were on Adam now, eyeing the uncertainty in the human's posture.

Slowly, Sam and Dean glanced at one another again. Doing that freaky psychic-but-not-actually-psychic thing they did.

Sam nodded to Dean, then looked to Adam.

"Dean and I were human. Obviously we're not now, and we will take the time to explain that to you, if you want to hear it," he spoke suddenly, drawing Adam's attention.

Adam blinked, confused in the shift of conversation. Sam simply gave him a warm smile. "We're pleased to meet you, Adam. Dean is my older brother by four years, and I'm Sam. ...Winchester."

Adam stared, eyes widening. After a long moment, his eyes went to the water bottle in his hand. "...I need a beer," he muttered.

Sam and Dean both started laughing, startling Adam a bit. Sam shot him a grin. "Yeah...I think you do. And I think...you just might be family," he tacked on warmly.

A slow, faintly hopeful smile curled over Adam's lips.

Moon Queen stuck around for a while, though she didn't seem ready to remove her mask around Adam just yet. Still, she took to interacting with him in the same capacity as she did Sam and Dean, smiling and laughing, and quipping jokes with him.

The angels hovered, all curious about the new human in their home, especially when Cassie had translated that Adam was a brother to Sam and Dean, one they had only discovered today.

For his part, Adam eyed them back with the same curiosity they showed him. Sam and Gabriel both caught how Adam's gaze lingered on one of the angels, too...but Armaya had merely given him a cursory glance and flitted off to the reading corner with a text book.

Glancing at one another, the mates shared the same thought. ' _Interesting_.'

Glips had boldly taking to sitting on the sofa arm beside Moon Queen as they all talked, but she kept her eyes on Cassie as he translated for anyone lingering. ...Which was pretty much Glips, for the most part. But more interesting than Glips proximity to Moon Queen, was how Moon Queen was darting peeks at the angel. Peeks that went unnoticed as Glips attempted to understand the conversation going on about them all.

They were all so caught up in...everything, that they didn't pay any heed to the time. It was Heturi approaching that brought them up short in their words. " ** _I'm sorry for interrupting, but...some of us are hungry, Sam, Dean_** ," he spoke, looking almost ashamed.

Sam blinked, standing immediately, and Dean shot a frown at Heturi. " ** _Don't be sorry, man. Thanks for getting our heads out of our asses_** ," he spoke.

Heturi blinked, looking from Dean's head, to his rear, tilting his head. " ** _I don't think that's_** \--"

" ** _It's a figure of speech_** ," Sam cut in with a laugh, shaking his head. He then looked over at Dean's blushed face, smirking. "Whaddya think, sandwiches? Since it's short notice?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I'll help," he said, standing as well.

Sam and Dean went to prepare lunch, and Adam leaned forward, eyeing Gabriel and Cassie. "So...you guys are...with Sam and Dean?" he asked.

Time to test this kid's boundaries. "Oh, yeah, you could say that...considering Cassie's got Dean-o's little one growing in there, and Sammy's got three o' mine in him," he said. He didn't mention the one he had--he considered that one fragile, considered himself fragile, and until he managed to actually hold his little sparky in his arms, he would continue to think that way.

Adam blinked slowly, glancing at Moon Queen for confirmation. Gabriel saw her give a short nod of confirmation, and Adam's eyes moved over to Cassie's tummy. He stared, as if he might be able to see it.

"...It's a boy, right?" he spoke suddenly, looking up at Cassie's eyes.

...Maybe he could see it.

He felt a curious prod from Sam at his surprise, but Dean was striding back over in record time, frowning as he eyed the whole scene; Gabriel's feathers ruffled with his surprise, Cassie's wings elevated slightly in a bit of a defensive posture.

"The hell is going on? Cas?" he demanded, moving to Cassie's side instantly.

Adam winced, sinking back into his seat. "Sorry, I...I didn't..."

"Easy, Adam. You're new to your powers, right? We're just surprised, not offended," Gabriel spoke.

Dean's eyes were darting back and forth, but he seemed to be calming from whatever Cassie was passing to him.

Adam nodded slowly, eyes landing on Gabriel's tummy before quickly darting away to Moon Queen. Well, damn...kid had good eyes.

Before Gabriel could say anything, he was striking up a conversation with the technopath about how to work out how his powers and abilities worked.

"Sam and Dean have trained plenty of heroes, actually. They're better suited to it tha--"

They all froze at the faint creak of the front door, with the exception of Adam. Adam was looking over to see who was coming in. Which was probably the normal thing to do, but given that any of them rarely used the front door, everyone else within range to hear it had frozen.

Max was stepping in, Alicia draped over his arms, blood flowing heavily from her.

Gabriel stood slowly, but there was a blur moving past all of them, lifting the burden from Max's hands. Heturi moved away from him as the twin stared wildly and desperately, watching as his sister was being taken toward the kitchen. Mefusa was already calling out to Sam, in warning and entreaty both.

"Max...what happened?" Dean prompted, trying to draw his attention away.

"I don't know. I don't know. I went for a walk, when I came home...I...I..." he spoke, still staring after his sister.

Gabriel moved away, heading to where Heturi had laid Alicia out on one of the tables in the dining area, one of the many they didn't use. Sam was leaning over her, hands glowing. He looked up when Gabriel was mere feet away, desperation lancing through him, body and soul. Alicia, even with her recent harsh words, was a friend, was the last family of the man standing at the door.

Wordlessly, Sam reached a hand to Gabriel.

It wasn't safe to do this. It wasn't. They were both pregnant.

But he believed in Sam, believed in the power they shared, the bond they had.

So he reached back, taking his hand.

Warmth, love, trust, everything they had together, it all rose and flowed between them, bright and hot.

Too hot. Ah, there it was, the build of power.

But Sam didn't grab it immediately. He waited for it to coalesce. For it to reach a dangerous level, the same point it had been at the first time they'd reached to each other like this. Then he grabbed it, yanking it from between them and into himself. His other hand, hovering above Alicia's empty body, slammed down into the center of her chest. His eyes didn't leave Gabriel's as he worked. Healing the body was nothing for him, this was something else he was doing, something that Gabriel knew he'd only done once before. Something he didn't even remember how to do, but he was desperately trying anyway. To save a friend, and a friend's only family.

Something in Sam became frenzied with desperation, and Gabriel thought that maybe...maybe this wasn't enough. Maybe it wasn't going to work.

But then there was something else, something different...something more, connected to the both of them.

' _You can do this, little brother_ ,' infiltrated their connection.

' _We all can_ ,' came a voice that sounded very much like Cassie.

Gabriel couldn't look, fixated as he was on Sam. But the frenzied feeling faded as a fresh wash of power flowed through to them, and Sam swiftly snagged it up, pouring it over.

All at once, all of it faded, and there was a startled, aborted scream as Alicia jerked upward on the table, eyes darting about in panic as she gasped in air.

Max was at her side, practically pulling her off of it as he hugged her to him, a choked sob wrenching from his chest.

Sam was steeping into his space, hand hovering over his stomach, then moving over to Cassie, who was at Dean's side, just behind them. Finally, his hand went to his own stomach, and he relaxed bodily, almost sagging to the floor before Dean reached out and caught him.

"Whoa, easy there," he spoke with a faint laugh.

"You try bringing a soul back from oblivion, even with two power-boosts, then tell me to take it easy," Sam quipped dryly, sinking to his knees despite Dean trying to hold him up. "...Imma need about an hour or two to recover, guys. Which...gives us time for lunch. ...We still need to work on completing your bond," he reminded, glancing up at Dean and Cassie.

Cassie blinked, looking uncertain, but Dean shot him a warm smile.

"Sounds good, little brother. Take a seat, I'll finish up the sandwiches," he prompted.

Sam nodded and Gabriel moved to help him up, blinked when Adam moved to his other side. Gabriel cast a glance over his shoulder to see pretty much the entirety of the compound at his back. He glanced up. ...The lights were intact, so that was something, at least.

With Adam's help, Sam was deposited gently at a table. Adam then took a step back, glancing over at Max and Alicia, clinging to one another with Alicia still mostly on a table. He then looked back at Sam. "...I have _so many_ questions," he said.

Sam turned a faint smile on him. "I'll give what answers I can," he said with a chuckle.

Moon Queen was moving over slowly, Glips trailing behind her, eyes darting back and forth between her and the twins in concern. When the human paused across from Sam, Sam looked up at her in concern. She was looking at him uncertainly...lost. Sam gave her a weak smile. "I can't tell you what to do, Moon Queen," he spoke, barely above a whisper. "I know how you once felt about her, I know you ejected her from your purview. I also know that...whatever happened to her, whatever almost made her lost to the world forever...that's not on you. And you don't have to forgive her for how she treated you. ...I didn't try so hard to save her because of her, but because of Max. Because...because if it'd been Dean laying there, I...I don't know what I'd've done. Yes, she was a friend...and I did want to help her...but I wouldn't have pulled out all those stops if not for Max. Because what I just did...I wasn't sure how safe it was," he admitted.

Moon Queen nodded slowly, glancing over at the twins. They'd pulled back from one another and were talking quietly now, Alicia touching her stomach where there'd been a deep gouge minutes ago. She huffed out a sigh. "I have a lot to consider. Maybe I can do something like a...probationary run, see about letting them back in. I don't know. I just...I don't feel like I can trust her anymore," she spoke quietly.

Gabriel finally took the seat at Sam's side. "Mm. Well, there is someone who wants your trust," he spoke up with a cheeky grin.

Sam turned an incredulous stare, that Gabriel felt, on him. Moon Queen blinked, staring at him in puzzlement.

Gabriel's eyes slid to Glips, who was standing behind Moon Queen and a bit more to the side, her eyes on the twins and a concerned frown on her face, arms crossed as she watched them.

The human woman turned to look and stared, raising an eyebrow, then quickly looking back at Gabriel in clear question.

"Get her attention...and smile as pretty as you can," Gabriel instructed with a bright smile.

"Gabe!" Sam hissed.

But Moon Queen was turning to follow instruction. "Hey, Glips, right?" she spoke.

Glips blinked, turning at the sound of her name.

Moon Queen flashed a bright, cheery smile.

And Glips wings immediately moved into a coy display as she smiled back giddily. ...Until Moon Queen's eyes tracked over her wings, anyway. She seemed to realize then the display she was making and her wings snapped tight to her back as she flushed a scarlet hue that rivaled Jivi's wings, darting to the side, then up the stairwell.

"...Guys," Moon Queen spoke, turning to them slowly. "...Did she just angel-flirt with me?"

"Yep!"

"Yeah," Sam spoke with a chuckle.

Moon Queen looked toward the stairs, and determination lit up her eyes. "I've got a language barrier to knock down," she said with determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chappie, I reckon. I'm tired. Uhg, life.


	57. Chapter 57

Max, Alicia, and Moon Queen stuck around for a while.

Lunch was peaceful, for the most part, even though the angels kept casting curious, distrustful glances at Alicia. They'd received a basic translation of what had happened just a couple of days ago that had had Max and Alicia leaving in the first place. So they weren't about to trust her now.

But Sam had brought her back from death. Sam, Gabriel, Dean, and Castiel, all together, had pooled enough power to bring her back from death. That the four of them had done that, had taken the time and power to do it, had them only casting her dubious glances, rather than anything else.

And so it was, about an hour after lunch, when Sam and Nariel were out in the flower field and looking over the set up the other angels had done for Dean and Cas, he wasn't surprised to look up and see Alicia approaching. She was changed out of the bloodied, torn clothes, wearing someone's jeans, and a baggy shirt that Sam could identify as being Dean's, from before he had wings.

Sam glanced over at Nariel. "Hey, Nariel, take a break, okay? And uh...keep anyone from coming out until Alicia comes back inside?" he requested.

Nariel blinked, looking up and frowning, feathers ruffling in faint agitation as he looked at Alicia nearing them. He looked over at Sam, though, giving a short nod of acquiescence, then set down the tablet in his hand on one of the beds, heading toward the compound and giving the human woman a wide berth.

Alicia glanced at him as he went, guilt flitting across her features. Her eyes then went to Sam and that guilt tightened into a grimace as she drew closer.

"Sam," she spoke, slowing as she neared him. Sam turned to fully face her, staring passively. Her expression became strained for a moment, gaze flitting away. She opened her mouth, closed it, took a steadying breath...she was having difficulty here, but Sam...for this, he could not, and would not, make it easy for her. She had a lot of apologizing to do, and she needed to learn how to do it. He watched as she sighed, shoulders slumping slightly as he gaze found his again. "I'm sorry doesn't even start to cover it," she spoke.

Sam gave a short nod of agreement. "It doesn't," he agreed.

"I...I have an excuse. But that's all it is; an excuse. In the end...it was my own behaviors and thoughts I allowed to be influenced, myself that spoke those...those awful words. Me that hurt...hurt Moon Queen, you, Dean, the angels...."

"Don't forget Max in that," Sam chided gently.

She jerked as though slapped, and it was clear she hadn't really cared to stop and think about how her twin had been affected.

Sam took pity on her then. "You said your behaviors and thoughts were influenced?" he prompted.

Alicia's eyes shut then, but her expression was filled with pain. She sighed as she apparently beat it back, opening her eyes and staring at one of the beds. She moved over to it, sitting on the end, and Sam moved, sitting beside her.

"There was this guy...I started dating him about a year or so ago. He was...sweet to me, but he'd make these off-handed comments, and I didn't...I didn't think much of 'em. I knew they were wrong, but...I'd see him be so kind and sweet, to me, and sometimes to strangers in passing, I thought maybe it was just...like a joke or something? I don't know, I..." she started, huffing out a heavy sigh.

Sam frowned, gently placing a hand on her leg. "He changed on you, didn't he?"

"...Kinda? ...A few months in, he got drunk one night. Not a big deal, not really, but he...he said things that were just wrong, Sam. Things I tried to defend, and...he slapped me," she admitted.

Sam did his best to keep his wings settled, not that Alicia knew how to read them. "Well...I don't like where this is going," Sam spoke.

Alicia gave a humorless laugh, eyes glancing toward the compound. "...I was so stupid, Sam. It took him calling once the next morning, pleading for forgiveness, and I let him right back in."

"And it got worse."

"And it got worse," she confirmed quietly. Slowly, her eyes met his. "Max doesn't know. I was afraid what he'd do if he found out, how he'd react...not just to Phil, but to me. I still am. ...You healed me. You felt all of it, didn't you?" she asked, shame pouring through every minute detail of her expression.

Sam's soft exhalation was answer enough for her, and she looked away.

"I...I was trying to keep a peace with him, between us. So whenever he said things I knew were wrong, I just...agreed. ...I started thinking that way, too, and...that's why I reacted the way I did, to finding out about...you, Dean, and your relationships here, with the angels. ...And then Charlie, she...she asked me that question, and I...I didn't feel like I was defending an argument, or myself...I felt like I was defending what I had with Phil, what there had been between us in the beginning. And I said those... _awful_ things. Charlie's my friend, and I said something so _horrible_ to her," she spoke, expression and voice both pained.

Sam's hand squeezed her leg gently. "Max went for a walk today," he prompted softly.

Alicia didn't respond immediately. She looked pained...she looked sick.

"Phil, he...he'd been making comments, even when not drunk, about us. About me and Max. Disgusting things," she said. Her eyes shut for a moment, cowering under a memory. Sam moved his hand off her leg, bringing his arm up and wrapping it around her shoulders, pulling her into his side, allowing his wings to carefully bracket them, to offer a space against the world. When Alicia opened her eyes, she blinked a few times to see it, then slumped heavily into his side. "Max went for his walk, and I...I think they'd been waiting for that. Phil and three of his buddies showed up, all drunk. I opened the door, and they barged in. ...I fought every step of the way, because...some part of me was done with it. Some part of me recognized it wasn't healthy, that he'd cost me some of my most important friendships, however indirectly, and I fought," she said quietly, almost brokenly.

Keeping the wrath that was building in him from spilling into his connection with Gabriel was a hard thing to do, but he waited, he listened.

"They did so much, said so much...and then they left. ...They left and I...I managed to pick myself up. I didn't want Max to see me like that, and I didn't think it'd be long before he was back," she said. "...But Phil came back before Max got home, and he...he called me a whore for...for ' _letting_ ' them do that to me. Said I wasn't anything but trash. I told him I may be trash, but he was less than shit, and to never speak to me again. ...And he suddenly had a knife, I think he grabbed it from the knife block in the kitchen? ...He stabbed me, over and over, and I...I don't know, I panicked, I couldn't...couldn't heal myself, which may be a good thing. I didn't want to do that in front of him, expose myself like that anyway, but...but next thing I know, he's gone, Max is there, and I...I couldn't feel anything. Then...then I'm waking up here," she finished.

Sam hummed quietly, resting his chin atop her head. "...It's up to you what you want to tell anyone else. I won't breathe a word of any of it, you know I won't. ...And while I accept your apology, it may be more difficult to gain the forgiveness of everyone else. Especially Dean. You hurt Charlie, and she's...she's a sister to us. He won't forgive lightly, Alicia," he spoke softly.

Alicia turned her face into his shoulder, nodding after a moment. "Thank you, Sam," she breathed quietly.

Sam nodded, slowly releasing her. "Head on inside now," he gently instructed.

Alicia nodded slowly, slipping off the medical bed and heading for the compound.

Sam waited until she was near the doors before finally releasing the fury he felt, unable to hold it anymore. He felt Gabriel's alarm at the sudden emotion.

' _Alicia told me about how she wound up in that condition. ...Tell Dean, Cas and Nariel to come out here? If I have the strength after this, I need to go tie up some loose ends there_ ,' he sent.

'... _Try not to overdo it, kiddo. I worry_ ,' Gabriel responded.

Sam stood and picked up the tablet he'd put down, but then eyed the beds with a frown. ...No. No, that didn't feel...right. He set the tablet back down, moving to the side of one and starting to push it closer to the other. He didn't stop until they were pressed tight together. ...Yeah. Yeah, Dean and Cas, they'd...they'd need to be right against one another for this.

He looked up then, to see a group heading toward him, his **_mate_** , Cas, Dean, and Nariel at the lead. Heturi, Mefusa, Jivi in a line just behind them, Adam and Moon Queen plodding forth with curious looks, and Max and Alicia taking up the rear.

His eyes moved to his brother and brother-in-law, and he gave them a warm smile. Dean grinned, and Cas smiled brightly.

He felt a pang of jealousy again, but this time he didn't catch it quick enough. He saw Gabriel falter a step as it registered and he started to send an apology...when he felt Gabriel echo it softly. That had him walking over to him, drawing him close and kissing his forehead.

"After our little ones are born, hm?" he whispered to him.

"Definitely," Gabriel replied, quickly and softly.

Sam smiled warmly, leaning down for a press of lips, then gently pulled away, turning to see Nariel helping Cas onto one bed, Dean already on the other and practically spilling over where the two beds met as he watched on.

Sam quickly stepped forward, getting his tablet out of the way.

Soon, Cas and Dean were snuggled into the middle of the beds, chests flush against one another, arms wrapped around each other's bodies, legs tangled together.

"Alright," Sam spoke aloud, turning from them while Nariel ran initial scans and set up the continuous monitoring. "The angels have an idea of what we're doing here...but I guess we oughta let the rest of you know," he supplied, glancing at Max, Alicia, Moon Queen, and finally, Adam. "The reason Dean and I are no longer human is because we bonded on a...consciousness-level, for lack of a better term, with angels. However, we haven't completed our bonds; they're partially formed. Dean and Cas are about to attempt forging a full bond. The reason that we're doing this outside is largely logistical. Replacing all the light bulbs in the compound is not fun...not that I was conscious for that last time, but I digress! ...Dean and Cas are taking this plunge first, because only one of them is pregnant, and they have me to monitor everything, to ensure that all goes well."

Moon Queen and Adam didn't really react. Max and Alicia went slack with shock and turned to one another, mouthing the same word. 'Pregnant?'

Sam ignored it, for now, turning back to see where they were at.

Cas had tucked his head under Dean's chin, nuzzling into his throat, and Dean was staring across to the treeline with a fond smile on his face.

Jivi was near to Sam's side, interested in all going on. ...This was a new thing to record, after all.

Gabriel was near to Sam as well, but lingering back a bit to be sure and be out of the way.

Heturi and Mefusa were standing, side by side, a few feet off, and Sam blinked. ...So they were friends? Gabriel felt his worried curiosity and he saw from the corner of his eye as the golden angel followed his gaze. Humor sparked off of him brightly.

Gabriel offered something up gently, and Sam pulled it forward, wondering what it was.

_Father, he was thirsty! He woke with the moon high in the sky, Sam's wing draped over him, and he didn't really want to move, but...his tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth! It made an audible clucking noise when he'd pulled it away. With a sigh, he shuffled carefully from the bed. He did pretty well; Sam did little more than frown for a second before it smoothed back out._

_Plodding down the stairs, he halted to see lights on from past the dining area on the first floor. He slowed, curious as he stepped off the last step._

_In the kitchen, standing over the rack of lights above the island counter, was Heturi and Mefusa. Whatever they were discussing, neither looked real happy...in fact, they looked upset. Which was odd with the way Heturi's hands were clasped behind Mefusa's neck, and Mefusa was holding Heturi close by his hips._

_Gabriel eyed the dining area between them. ...No place he could really sneak up and eavesdrop from. ...If he wanted to know, he was going to have to ask directly. ...Dammit. With a soft sigh, and a determination to keep as few secrets in their home as possible, he walked forward, not bothering to try and be quiet._

_Heturi and Mefusa sprang apart pretty quickly as he approached._

_" **It's not like you're doing something wrong. ...Are you?** " Gabriel spoke humoredly as he neared._

_Their eyes were already on him, and they were both flushing._

_" **N-No?** " Heturi let out uncertainly._

_"... **Not exactly** ," Mefusa spoke, a bit more subdued._

_Gabriel frowned, looking back and forth between them. And he waited._

_He was starting to get annoyed by their silence, when Heturi finally sighed, reaching a hand out and taking one of Mefusa's. "... **What...what we have is new, very obviously, but...but we're in want of another as well, and...it's not likely they will agree** ," he spoke quietly._

_Mefusa was staring at the refrigerator with an expression of pain on his face._

_Gabriel hummed softly. " **It's one of the humans, isn't it?** " he asked. They both flinched. " **Mm. Well, even though I've been here a while, I don't know if they do that in this society, in their cultures. I mean...Sam's taught me some history, where Kings had multiple wives and concubines, but...that's not the same as the triad you seek. I can ask** \--"_

_" **No**!"_

_" **Please don't** ," Mefusa spoke, their gazes finally both moving to meet his._

_Gabriel frowned, then sighed. " **Alright, I won't ask. But...if Sam notices something, I'm not hiding it from him,** " he said._

_They both frowned, but nodded._

' _Oh. ...This was...last night?_ '

There was a hum of agreement down their connection.

Sam frowned, his gaze slowly moving to Dean and Cas. He had an inkling...but he didn't know how things would work there. If they would at all. He'd have to see about testing it out.

' _Ask Moon Queen, Max, and Alicia about staying for dinner, when you have a minute_ ,' he requested of his mate, as Nariel gave an all-clear. "Alright...Dean, manifest your energy, and Cas, reach for it. And then, Dean, I know how everything tunnels during this, so...push your soul back against Cas' grace. Don't just accept it coming in, push yourself back into him. Got it?"

With little more than a nod, Dean was glowing bodily with his energy. Cas relaxed into it, and everything quickly became insanely bright.

" _ **My equipment's out!**_ " Nariel suddenly called out.

Sam frowned, but he'd expected it. He sighed and stepped around to the side, crawling up onto the bed behind Cas' legs, ignoring the stinging of his eyes against the light, and hovering a hand over them. He could feel all three of them in this position.

Cas and Dean were pulsing, bright in more ways than the light they were shining with. Ways that Sam's mind couldn't explain, couldn't fully comprehend. The flame of his nephew wasn't doing much of anything...but it was...happy. Like it felt something it liked.

And suddenly, Cas and Dean weren't separate pulses. They were the same pulse. Sam had to shut his eyes against how impossibly brighter they became then. He was aware of worried noises, and a worried emotion spilling out of Gabriel, but he kept his concentration.

The pulsing was rapid, a hum, a fever pitch. Oh...oh, energy. Of course there'd be a build up between them, the same way there was whenever either couple was like this. But Dean didn't have the same way to release it that Sam did. And if he had to guess, Cas didn't either.

He didn't know what this would do. Actually touching them, during this process? He didn't know what it would do. But he had to offer to help. That was his whole purpose here, to help, to ensure the safety of all.

He shifted his hand over to his brother's hip, allowing it to come down and grip it reassuringly.

He felt them both, felt the singular pulse of them both, and it was filled with gratefulness an instant before they passed it to him.

It was agony in his veins, fire in his blood, and he felt his wings snap high, too high, something there hurt, but it was nothing to this pain.

' _SAM_!'

Gabriel. Focus. Gabriel's just there. You can do this.

It was a hard thing to do, to manipulate this amount of power, that was more than what he'd had in bringing back Alicia.

But Sam was healing, Sam was life, and he spilled it forth, sending it a good many feet away from himself, giving it space to be, to exist, to grow. ...The power left him, and thankfully, it didn't drain him in the process. He opened his eyes, feeling Cas and Dean starting to settle back into themselves. He raised his hand to find the flame in Cas' tummy, still there, still strong, still happy. He smiled softly, finally opening his eyes. The brightness was fading. He shifted in his position on the bed, turning to see the large oak he'd made, strong, tall, wide, sprouted in an instant, but no one would guess it. It looked to be easily a hundred years old.

Finally, he turned to Gabriel, looking him over, making sure that whatever he'd felt from their connection hadn't done him harm.

...Gabriel was unconscious on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun...dun...DUUUUNNN


	58. Chapter 58

Dread filled him. Or...it tried to. It was there, but...really, he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything but a numbing coldness, and dread and horror were at the edges of it.

For just a second, he did nothing but stare blankly.

In the next, his mind worked and he moved on instinct--teleported on instinct--to Gabriel's side, landing on his knees and pulling his **_mate_ **up into his lap, letting his wings sprawl limply behind him.

He shifted, going from knees to ass, sliding his legs under the golden angels form so that he fell into the cradle of Sam's lap, Sam silently pulling forth his energy.

There were voices, but he ignored all of them, the low and the high, the quiet and the loud, focusing solely on the life, the lives, settled into the bow of his legs.

Gabriel was aching inside. What he'd caught off of Sam had _hurt_ him. Badly.

Fear cut through the cold numb that still clung to his senses, to his emotions, but he forced his hands to move to Gabriel's stomach.

Their little flame, their sparky...it was _screaming_.

His wings trembled, and that hurt, but not near as bad as knowing he'd hurt not just his **_mate_** , but their child that relied on said **_mate_**.

"Shhh, it's okay," he whispered to it, pressing his hands down on Gabriel's lower tummy oh-so-gently. ...There wasn't anything to heal. Just pain and agony that he could only hope their child would never remember.

He spared a thought for the ones growing in him, but he'd managed to keep that pain away from them, had managed to shield them from the heat. Still...he wanted to be certain, so he dared, for just a moment, to pull one hand away from Gabriel's stomach to feel his own.

They were discomforted, but nothing like the one Gabriel was carrying.

Movement in his periphery had Sam's gaze snapping up, teeth bared in feral threat, wings doing their best to spread in aggression.

Green hues stared back at him calmly as he glared back. It took much longer than it should have for him to recognize Dean. When he did, he allowed his wings to go completely limp, his vision blurring as he looked back to his unconscious mate in his lap. "...I hurt them," he spoke brokenly.

"Sam--" a voice spoke, but a gesture from Dean had Cas cutting off.

"It's not your fault, little brother. It's not. We asked this of you. ...Is...are they--"

"Just hurting. Can't...can't do anything," Sam muttered, bowing forward over Gabriel's midsection.

It was quiet for a few long moments, and then Dean was huffing out a sigh. "C'mon. Up, Sam. If not for yourself, then for them. Get them someplace they can recover properly, yeah?" he spoke.

Sam didn't move. His mind was reeling, and he just wanted to scream. He'd hurt them. This was his fault. Gabriel was aching, their fledgling was still crying and screaming out in ways that only a soul without a voice could do, and it was his fault, he'd taken too much, and they'd suffered for it!

Pain lanced through his body as his wings tried to pull forward and hunch in, but he did little more than suck in a breath at it, didn't even bother trying to heal the damage he'd done to himself. He deserved it. He deserved worse.

"Sam," Dean's voice prompted firmly.

...He had things he needed to do. But they felt so unimportant right now. He was drowning under the weight of what he'd done. Nevermind that he hadn't meant to, or that he hadn't thought he couldn't handle it. He'd dragged Gabriel down with it all. ...And Gabriel would forgive him for it, until he knew the agony their child had suffered for it.

"Okay. Alright. Sammy? I'm gonna take Gabe, okay?" Dean's voice came.

Sam felt his wings jerk in protest, lancing him with fresh pain...but when Dean's arms snuck carefully under the limp angel, Sam didn't resist. He lifted enough to allow Dean to pull him away, watching Gabriel's discomforted face until he could no longer see it as his big brother carried his **_mate_ **away and inside.

"...Come, Sam," Castiel's voice came from to his right.

Sam didn't move. He just...he couldn't. Not immediately, not at first. But finally, after long patient minutes on Castiel's part, Sam pushed himself up slowly. He needed to be there, to monitor Gabriel and their flame, to ensure they settled and healed the things he could not take care of himself.

He walked on legs he didn't really feel, with one of his wings damaged to the point of dragging limply across the ground behind him, and headed inside. He felt eyes on him, heard more than one voice directed at him, but they...they just weren't important. ...None of them. His everything was up in their room, where his big brother would be settling him, and that...that was important. Gabriel and their children, that was all that was important right now.

He realized, halfway up the stairs, that he could've taken the elevator. ...Actually, he could teleport.

In the next instant, he was in the room, Dean startling where he was pulling a hand away from Gabriel's forehead.

Sam ignored him, tucking into the bed and curling close, pulling his energy up and laying his hand over Gabriel's stomach.

Still hurting, but the agony was fading. It relaxed something in him. ...But Gabriel was going to hate him. Would only want him around to make sure nothing serious happened to the one he carried. Because Sam could and would not keep this from him. He'd hurt them so badly.

Dean was saying something to him, but Sam just didn't care. He ignored it, shutting his eyes, narrowing all his senses in on Gabriel and the child he held, waiting for Gabriel to wake again.

When he felt Gabriel stirring, in their bond, Sam opened his eyes and slowly sat up, drawing away from Gabriel, finally releasing the hold on his energy that he'd monitored them with.

Moonlight lit the room.

Drawn by the orb hanging high in the sky behind their bed, Sam slowly slipped from it, turning to the window and stepping closer to it. As he waited for Gabriel to wake fully, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the cool glass.

"...Sam?" Gabriel's voice croaked softly. Exhaustion, pain, and confusion filtered between them. Sam paused before carefully, hesitantly filtering a calming wave of reassurance to him.

He heard the bed shift, the movement of fabric against fabric.

Worry and concern spilled into Sam, and he felt himself shudder bodily from it. The worry surged higher.

"What's...what's going on? Sam, you're holding back. What happened?" Gabriel spoke, an edge of panic between them now.

"Dean, Cas, and our nephew are fine," Sam began. "So...so are our children," he continued. There was a strong wave of relief. "But I..." he spoke, not sure how to tell Gabriel just what he'd done. "I...I hurt you both, Gabe. Bad," he spoke, emotion filling his voice.

Gabriel prodded their connection sharply, but Sam stubbornly held his hurt back. He didn't deserve to share it, and Gabriel shouldn't have to suffer it for Sam's stupid selfishness, his stupid need to take on more than he could or should.

...And that made a wave of hurt come out of Gabriel anyway.

"Sam--"

"It was screaming. Our...our sparky, Gabe...was screaming in agony, and there was nothing I could do but let it suffer through the wake of what I did," he said, pressing his forehead to the glass so hard that he could swear it was going to crack any second.

Worry flooded Gabriel, there for a heavy moment, but then gone, calm sweeping over him.

"It's--"

"It's not okay!" Sam snapped, whirling to where Gabriel was on the bed, raised up on his knees, staring back at Sam. "I...I told you, Gabe! This connection, it's not--"

"Don't you dare!" Gabriel snarled, wings spreading up high in aggression. "Don't you dare say it's not good, Sam! This connection, what we have--it's, you...you're everything to me, dammit! I love you, and this doesn't change that! I know you didn't mean to do it--"

"That doesn't make it better, Gabe! If anything, it makes it worse!"

Gabriel opened his mouth, then clicked it shut, his anger that had been sweeping through Sam edging back into something that almost felt dangerous.

"So what, then? Close it off forever? Is that what you're trying to say you want?" he snapped lowly.

Sam shut his eyes, catching up all the hurt and pain before it dared to spill out of him.

And then Gabriel started to thin the connection, agonizingly slow. Sam trembled. Through his fingers, over his shoulders, through his injured wings, in his facial muscles, he trembled. A whimper escaped his lips seconds later, and Gabriel stopped.

"Sam. Look at me, Sam," he pleaded softly.

He almost didn't, but the soft plea came through just as gently in their connection, and he couldn't resist opening his eyes.

Gabriel in the light of the moon was every bit as beautiful as Gabriel in the setting sun.

Sam was hardly aware of moving, but between one second and the next, he had Gabriel pressed back into the bed, and he let go of his emotions. His fear, his agony, his despair, his pain, all over what he'd done to Gabriel and their child, and what he was afraid of happening next...he let Gabriel feel it all as he kissed him.

Nothing but love came in return. It flowed and surged, strong and warm and unending into him.

Sam sank into it.

When he woke, it was to quiet voices and an otherwise empty bed.

"Even so, he may have to rehabilitate them. Injuries like that...well, I don't know, really. I'm no grace-healer," Gabriel's voice spoke.

"Damn. Well, when he wa--"

"Oh, he's awake," his **_mate_ **interrupted. "Just now," he added, voice raising a bit.

Sam grunted agreement, starting to push himself up. "...I feel like shi--OW!" he let out as he tried to pull his wings in.

"Careful there, Sammy. You did somethin' to 'em when you were helping me and Cas yesterday," Dean's voice chided from the doorway.

"No. Really? I thought someone snuck in during the night and played jump rope with 'em," Sam snarked back, pushing up and off the bed, trying not to yelp in pain. He reached for his energy, starting to flow it through his body.

Something in his back, near the base of the wing, pulled and snapped. He gasped at the lance of pain, knees buckling and sending him to the floor.

"Sam?!" Gabriel spoke, sharp worry bordering on panic lancing through their bond.

"'M okay," he whimpered. "Just letting the carpet know it's loved, tha's all," he huffed out, pushing himself up a bit.

Worry still held strong, but a faint amusement trickled in as well.

Dean snorted from the doorway. "...Get a shower, guys, and come down for breakfast," he said in parting, leaving the room.

His wings were sore, but well healed when he stretched them, moving to stand with Gabriel gripping at his arm to make sure he was stable. He paused then, looking down at him. Gabriel blinked, staring back up. Sam smiled, soft and slow, leaning down until their foreheads touched, softly pouring his love forth.

Gabriel smiled, bright and warm, spilling his forth happily.

Wordlessly, they moved, gathering clothes and heading for the bathroom.

Under the water of the shower, Sam sank to his knees slowly, kissing a worshipping trail down the golden angel, pausing to press soft, fluttering kisses all over his belly, in love and apology both, and then he swallowed Gabriel's cock down until he was spilling down his throat with a wordless cry.

Eventually, they made their way downstairs...to find that Charlie had stayed and removed her mask. ...Max and Alicia were still around, too. And Adam, of course, though he was helping Dean in the kitchen.

Charlie blinked when they came in, jumping up and rushing over, eyes wide and frantic. "Soo....everyone alright?" she asked, looking from Sam, to Gabe, to Gabe's belly, then to Sam's belly.

"We're all good," Gabriel piped up before Sam could respond, so Sam just nodded in agreement, smiling warmly at her.

Charlie visibly relaxed and nodded, smiling in relief. "Okay...okay, good!" she chirped out.

Max was approaching behind her, looking them over questioningly, seeming to try and assess just how truthful they were being. As he did, Sam sent Gabriel a silent request. He felt Gabriel's answering amusement, and knew his suspicions were correct, then. But he didn't know how to go about assessing the situation just yet.

"We're really good, Max. Sorry I kinda...checked out yesterday. By the way...if you and Alicia would like to hang around a while longer, that'd be fine. I can't imagine you're...eager to go back," Sam spoke.

Max blinked, his expression dark and agonized as he apparently recalled having found his sister. He turned to look at her, and Alicia...she looked more than a little pale. All the same, "We have nothing here," she spoke quietly.

Charlie grinned. "I think a field trip is in order," she spoke, turning to look over the angels. "I know you've taken them to a grocery store...but I think they'd like to see a mall."

Sam blanched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready for THE CHAOS???


	59. Chapter 59

"Mall?"

"Oh, yes," Charlie beamed, practically thrumming with excited energy in front of them. "It's a series of stores in one giant building! Clothes, books, movies, toys, electronics...malls are _magnificent_ ," she gushed.

Despite her excitement, there was dread spilling out of Sam. Gabriel peeked up at him, but Sam was looking at the angels worriedly. ...His sweet **_Guardian_** , ever worried about their safety.

"Don't forget theaters and restaurants," Max spoke up, and Gabriel blinked, turning to look at him.

And suddenly, something occurred to Sam, a small spark of an idea, and his dread faded, replaced by determination. Gabriel was curious, and he let that in their bond, but he had a feeling Sam wasn't ready to spill the beans on whatever idea he had.

"Okay. Okay, so...this afternoon, do you think?" Sam spoke to the humans.

Alicia stood slowly, behind Charlie and Max, looking uncertain about something, even though Charlie was beaming, and Max was nodding.

Gabriel prodded Sam gently, redirecting his attention. He could feel the concern from his **_mate_ **as Sam spoke up. "What is it, Alicia?"

Charlie and Max both blinked, turning to look at her.

Alicia looked at Max with a tight grimace, her eyes going down.

Charlie snorted. "Really? Did you even bother trying to use your card? I ejected you from my purview, 'Cia. I didn't totally cut you off. Besides, we discussed this last night. You're on probation now, so even if I had, it'd be active by now anyway," she spoke, turning with a flippant wave of her hand, beaming as she headed down the line of the table. ...Toward Glips. The conversation blew over Gabriel's head anyway, so he moved and followed after, lingering just far enough away to be mostly unnoticed, but not to miss out on eavesdropping.

"Hi Glips!" Charlie chirped, practically in the angel's personal space.

Glips jumped slightly, looking up from a tablet with wide eyes, face turning a hot pink. After a second, she frowned, chewing on her lower lip. "H...Hullo, Charlie," she greeted cautiously. Charlie beamed, and the whole of Glips' wings twitched with restraint.

He couldn't see Charlie's face at this angle, but her head tilted slightly in a way that suggested she was looking around. She was quiet for a long moment, and Glips watched her curiously, and with a faint shyness to her features. Finally, though, Charlie spoke. " ** _We going to mall...beyond lunch_** ," she spoke. Gabriel's eyebrows shot up, impressed. Well enunciated, even if a little broken...but for the most part, it'd translate.

And at that, Glips' wings did curl coyly. Charlie beamed widely, like she'd just been given a bowl of her favorite ice cream.

Gabriel silently chuckled and moved back away, more toward the wall and watching everyone.

Heturi and Mefusa were seated on opposite sides of the table, a few seats down from one another...as they had been since Heturi had arrived. They didn't seem to want anyone clued in about them. And if Gabriel hadn't caught them in the kitchen the other night, he wouldn't have a clue now. They didn't even look at one another. In fact, Mefusa was having a conversation with Jivi. Heturi was the one that was closest to giving anything away, glancing down the table toward the humans. But even that could be deciphered as vague curiosity.

' _So do humans have triads and nests?_ ' he found himself asking.

There was a brief flicker of confusion, before understanding smothered it. ' _It's...not common at all, and a lot of people turn their nose up at it. But...but there's more acceptance in recent years, so...I just don't know what the hope for them is, Gabe. We'll have to find out, and...don't be reckless about it, okay?_ '

' _Wha_ \--'

' _Oh, don't even. I know you, and your love for mischief would override your good sense and wind up, however unintentionally, destroying any hope there may be there_.'

Gabriel did _not_ pout. ...But Sam was right. He huffed audibly, shuffling his way back toward his **_mate_**.

He walked straight up to him and wrapped his arms around the taller angel's waist, snuggling into his side, Sam moved his arm to drape down over his back and rub gently between his middle wings' joints.

"Wow, I thought she'd have edited it more than that...but if the flow worked well, that's good. ...So what's the response?" Sam was saying.

"Uhh...well, Charlie was talking about it last night," Max was saying, looking down the table. "She said people were freaking out more about the species change thing than about either sex being able to carry children. So...that's something?" he ventured, looking back at Sam.

Sam sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Breakfast pizzas inbound!" Dean called out before Sam could continue, bringing in two large steaming pizzas and setting them on the table. Adam was seconds behind him as Dean headed back to grab more.

Conversation spiked for a second at the sight of a new food, but quickly settled as everyone took up their self-designated seats, Charlie coming back down to join their end of the table where the humans had taken to sitting.

It was a few minutes after everyone had cheesy slices of bacon, sausage, and egg pizzas on their plates and had started eating, that Sam spoke up with a gentle prod to Gabriel to help him fill in gaps where needed. "So Gabe and I have been talking about some differences in human and angel cultures...and there's some pretty major ones," he began.

It took a second, but Cassie swallowed a bite and began translating for the rest of the table as he ate, while Dean looked up in question.

"Oh?" Charlie prompted, around a mouthful.

"Other than the obvious differences in our biologies, there's also the whole...abortion thing," Gabriel spoke, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Sam blinked and frowned, looking at him.

' _Dean and I discussed it back when we found out Cassie was pregnant_ ,' Gabriel supplied.

"That word...is not translating," his little brother prompted.

Gabriel cast a glance down the table, then shook his head at Cassie. "We'll discuss that with them this evening. No need to get everyone up in arms this early in the morning," he supplied.

Charlie had a faint frown on her face. "I get the impression that's not a thing where you're from?"

"Angels are heavily instinctual beings," he responded with a shrug. "When someone is carrying a life, those around them usually do all they can to protect it."

Dean was glancing at Cassie's tummy. He probably better understood that now.

"There's also that...before recently, they didn't really have a concept of transgender or non-binary people," Sam added, distracting from that specific topic.

Charlie blinked, frowning. "Wait, really? That...that seems odd," she said.

"You'd think so, but I guess it's...just another difference. But uh..." Sam began, glancing at Cassie. When Cassie gave a nod, Sam continued. "The fledgling Cas is carrying is female in sex, but male in gender," he announced.

When Cassie translated that, most of the angels were looking up in surprise and confusion. It spoke to how much they had come to trust Sam that none of them questioned it, however, even if they didn't really seem to understand it.

"Hm. Well, I guess it makes sense. I mean, from what I understand, the baby's half-human, right? So it's not...all grace in there, is it?" Max spoke up.

Sam blinked. "Uh..." he started. Cassie looked at him, obviously interested in the answer, and Dean leaned forward a bit, too. Sam looked from Cassie, to Dean, then down at the table that was covering Cassie's belly from sight. "I...I'd have to do a more in-depth exam on that, but from past impressions? I'd say that's accurate," he said, looking back at Max.

Max nodded, and it was Alicia that spoke up next. "So what else? Anything major in our...uhm...societal? Cultural? ...differences?"

Sam nodded. "Polyamory," he spoke.

Dean's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Cassie.

Cassie frowned in confusion.

" ** _Nests_** , little brother," Gabriel supplied.

Mefusa, down a few seats from himself, tensed briefly, but then quickly forced himself to relax. Heturi's head snapped up in surprise, his wings jerking in an aborted movement, before he quickly looked away.

Max, Alicia, and Charlie all looked intrigued.

"Is it...common then?" Charlie prompted.

Gabriel nodded. "Cassie and I, our parents, were in such a relationship," he supplied.

Something curious flit through Sam, but he was pushing it back to bring up later, Gabriel could feel.

Adam was shifting, sitting forward a bit. "So...what's the usual dynamic there, then? I mean, I watched the interview with everyone else last night, so...I understand some things, I guess, but...not everything," he spoke in query.

Gabriel shot him a smile and a shrug. "No real rhyme or reason to it, kid. A **_nest_ **can be all **_Sentinels_ **or all **_Nesters_** , or any combination thereof," he supplied.

Adam frowned, lips pursed as he tried to parse the words. Finally, he huffed and sat back in his seat. "We are going to have to work on translating those words," he muttered.

That made the majority of the table chuckle.

Gabriel noticed Sam sliding his eyes to Charlie, and Gabriel glanced at him, then the technopath. Hm...seem he could do that psychic-not-psychic thing with her, too, though Gabriel was betting not on the same level he could with Dean.

Charlie wiggled in her seat slightly, shifting around and facing more toward the humans, where she had been sitting to where she could see the whole of the table easily. "Well, ya know, it's not totally my thing, honestly, but I'm definitely open to it. I mean, especially if it's the right gaggle of girls. I'm just...way too set in my ways to bring a guy in, though," she spoke.

Alicia chuckled, and for a second, there was a flash of pain over her features, but it didn't seem anyone noticed. Really, Gabriel wouldn't have even thought Sam had noticed if he didn't feel an echo of the rage from yesterday in him briefly.

"Mm, I don't know, I think one person's enough for me," she spoke, tone practically carefree.

Max glanced at her, then looked at Charlie, blinking as an eyebrow was raised in his direction. "Wh...we're sharing on this now?" he spoke, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Sam chuckled and shrugged. "Why not? I mean...if Gabe and I ever found someone, if we both felt something," Sam spoke, looking down to meet his eyes. Gabriel smiled softly and shifted, nuzzling into his side.

"Don't know what'll happen, kiddo, but right now, you're more than enough," he murmured.

Sam kissed the top of his head. "'S how I feel, too," he responded quietly.

Max made an uncomfortable sound. "I'm not...against it," he admitted. "I just...I don't get how it'd work. How do you love equally like that, without preferring one over another?" he said.

Gabriel shifted, leaning so he could see Max, as Sam turned to him as well. "You don't...prefer one over another, but you will prefer one in a different way than you prefer another...sometimes," Gabriel spoke, drawing on what he knew of his parents. "Sometimes, you'll want both or all of them," he added with a shrug.

Max was contemplative, and Sam decided to leave him like that, shifting focus to Adam.

Adam looked back and forth, sliding down in his seat a bit before giving a shrug. "I mean...I know a group at uni that uh...they're not reserved. They don't hesitate to share what they feel for each other in public. ...And I kinda admire them, what they have. But...I don't know. I'd have to...to feel that first, before I could...tell for sure, I guess," he said quietly.

Sam gave him a warm smile and a short nod, then he turned a flat look on Dean.

"It's not just a kinky sex thing," he began.

Dean flushed brightly, wings fluffing in embarrassment and agitation both. "I know that!" he snapped out brusquely.

Sam cocked an eyebrow, and Gabriel couldn't help but to smirk.

"Oh, did you, Deanie-boy?" he teased with a broad smirk.

"Shut it, pixie," Dean muttered, glancing at Cassie.

Cassie blinked, looking back at him.

Slowly, warm smiles took over their faces, and then leaned into one another, nuzzling softly.

Sam chuckled fondly, shaking his head. "The last cultural difference," he wrapped up on the conversation, "is that there's pretty much no homophobia. I don't know if there's going to be transphobia, we'll...we'll wind up finding out, but...homophobia is pretty much not a thing. Why would there be, when either sex is able to bear children?" he spoke.

"Wait," Charlie spoke up suddenly. "...I mean, I get that two guys can, but...two girls?" she questioned quietly.

Sam blinked, then looked at Gabriel.

Gabriel looked at Charlie, then Sam, and back to Charlie. "It's...possible, but it's...facilitated, requires a grace-healer's assistance. It's almost like a **_mating_ **bond, in some ways," Gabriel supplied with a small shrug. He tilted his head as Sam passed him some information, then shook his head in reply. "No. Not like that," he spoke aloud, looking up at Sam. "Like...a grace healer has to use their grace to extract genetic information from one parent, manipulate it minorly so that it...completes the genetic puzzle, and then pass it to the second parent. ...It's a more true genetic child than your...artificial insemination, but it seems that artificial insemination would be less painful," he offered up.

Charlie let out a hum of acknowledgement as she stored the information away.

From there, the conversation drifted to nothing, until it was time for clean up. Mefusa volunteered to take over it for the meal. Heturi rose as everyone else did, glancing uncertainly at the dishes...but he walked away, heading outside instead.

Sam frowned, concern through their bond, but he carefully kept from eyeing or watching either of them too much. Gabriel was worried, too, unsure how this was going to work out--if it would at all. But he tried to soothe Sam's concern all the same.

As Mefusa approached, picking up dishes, they moved out of the way, Sam reaching out and clapping his shoulder lightly. " ** _Thanks, man_** ," he spoke briefly, moving away in the next instant. The stormy winged angel just offered a sound of acknowledgement, working on his task as Sam led Gabriel away a bit. When they were near the stairwell, out of earshot of pretty much everyone, Sam spoke in soft, quiet tones. "I...I'm worried about all three of them, Gabe. I mean...I can't say that Max is actually going to be open to Heturi and Mefusa, but even if he is...even if he is, who says it'll work out? I--"

"Shh, Sam. No one says it will. These things are hit and miss for us angels, too. But Mefusa and Heturi saw something in him, and they want to try. And it may hurt them if he can't do it...it may hurt them if he tries and just doesn't wind up feeling the same, but that's life, right?" he spoke gently.

Sam grimaced, but nodded. "Yeah...yeah, that's life," he agreed quietly.

"I know you want everyone happy, Sam. It's one of those things I love about you. And I...I hope it all works out, if only so that you're more at ease. But we'll see. You know as well as I do, we can't force anything that just doesn't work."

"...I love you," Sam murmured, leaning down to press their foreheads together, his love shining into their bond.

Gabriel allowed his eyes to flutter shut as he pushed his own feelings forward. "Love you too. So much," he responded softly.

"Sam! Gabe, get over here!" Charlie called out from the reading corner. Turning, they saw her, Adam, Dean, and Cas gathered. Adam and Cas were looking at something on the table, Dean was watching them with a faint look of bemusement, Charlie waving her arm like they couldn't spot her across the wide room easily.

Sam chuckled softly, taking Gabriel's hand and leading the way over.

"What's up?"

"We're planning our excursion!" Charlie chirped cheerfully as she sank to the floor by the tablet on the table.

Sam let out a soft groan. "Planning?"

"Uh, yeah! We don't want anyone splitting off to go on their own because they think they're gonna miss something, right?"

"...True, but uhm..." Sam spoke, leaning down until his lips were almost against her ear. ...He was whispering something to her!

Gabriel felt his feathers ruffle and he sharply prodded Sam, wanting to know what was going on.

' _Calm down, it's a surprise, that's all_ ,' Sam shot back with a healthy heaping of humor.

"Mind sharing with the class?" Dean spoke up.

Sam took a moment longer to finish what he was saying, and Charlie beamed at him as he stood back up and turned to his brother.

Dean frowned a bit as he worked out the look on Sam's face. Then his eyes got wide, his mouth opened--

"Not a word! I know you object, but get over it. I think he'll love it," Sam fussed, humor in his tone.

Dean's mouth clipped shut and he shot Sam a flat, dry look, then huffed.

"Alright, so the sasquatch and the pixie are going to go it alone for a little while. Means everyone else needs to stick close to us until we all regroup," Dean spoke.

Annoyance pulsed between himself and Sam, and Gabriel reached out, tugging sharply on one of Dean's flight feathers.

"Ow! You little--"

"I'm pregnant!" Gabriel shouted, all but jumping onto the sofa as Dean made to grab at him. He stepped back over the cushions as Sam shot out a wing between them, feathers puffed in mild threat, even if strong amusement was rolling out of him.

They really should've been watching Cassie.

Gabriel let out a sharp yelp at the twinge of pain that shot up his lower left wing, where his little brother had ruthlessly shot his hand into his feathers and _twisted_.

Sam whirled, barely managing to tuck in his outstretched wing and keep it from knocking anyone and anything over, and then promptly stilled, torn between _fight threat_ and _protect life_.

The resulting expression on Sam's face had Cassie looking smug.

Gabriel felt an eye twitch. "I'm going to make you pay for that, baby brother. Just you wait," he spoke coolly.

Cassie's eyes widened and he quickly pulled his hand away from Gabriel's wing, as though that would save him.

"If you children are done...?" Alicia spoke, approaching them, Max in tow, as both twins looked them all over with a faint trace of humor.

"Which mall are we going to, anyway?" Max chimed in.

"Best one in the state! Opry Mills," Charlie chirped out.

The twins both lit up. And Max glanced back to where most of the other angels were watching TV. He seemed to be looking them over for a moment, before he turned back to their little group in the reading corner. "...Why don't we leave in time to get lunch? I mean, home cooked food is fantastic and all, especially the way Sam and Dean cook, but...have they ever had restaurant food?" he supplied.

Sam grimaced. "No, not yet. Well...Gabe has, but that was a while back, and by the time he ate it, it was practically cold. Oh, and Cas has had a burger and fries," he said thoughtfully. "But in all, the rest of 'em? No. There's too much of a language barrier still."

"Wait, Sammy...you, Cassie, me, Dean, and Armaya...we can translate," Gabriel spoke. "I mean, it'd be a bit of work, but...we could do it," Gabriel spoke.

Sam blinked, glancing at him, giving him a curious prod. Gabriel almost shyly put forth that, yes, he wanted to try out restaurant food. In response, he received a warm emotion that paired with the soft smile on Sam's lips beautifully.

"Alright, then--"

"RAINFOREST CAFE!" Charlie immediately crowed, drawing the attention of the distant angels.

Dean started laughing, Sam chuckling as well. Alicia and Max beamed.

Adam tilted his head. "Is it that good?" he asked, tugging at what was probably a ringing ear. He'd been the closest to their technopath.

Charlie nodded adamantly. "Oh, yes!" she chirped happily.

"Alright, well, we have our starting point, and it helps it's to the left side of the mall. After lunch, I'm going to take Gabe off for the things at the places, and we'll track you guys back down after that," Sam said with a smile.

Charlie jumped up. "Alright, take me back to Cove, I wanna get showered and changed, please!" she said.

Sam nodded, reaching toward Charlie, but Alicia stepped forward quickly. "Uh...stop by our place? We...we need our masks, we can't exactly wander around exposed without people being able to make connections. ...And we could use at least one change of clothes," she said quietly.

Sam paused and gave a tight smile and a nod. "I'll be back," he said quietly.

' _Their place is pretty far off...want me to close off the connection?_ ' Sam asked, even as he vanished with Charlie.

Charlie was far enough away that the connection was uncomfortable as it immediately went taut.

'... _Probably for the best. Plus, I feel that fury of yours flaring up. You're going to do something, aren't you?_ '

' _Yep. And it might get worse while I do. So I'll close it, and on my way back, open it back up. ...Love you_ , _Gabriel_ ,' Sam sent with a surge of warmth.

' _Love you...be safe_.' Barely a moment later, the connection between them closed and Gabriel grimaced, rubbing absently at his chest.

He noticed, then, that Adam was watching him, and looking back and forth between Cassie and Dean.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. "Just how much those eyes of yours see, kid?" he piped up.

Cas and Dean looked at him, then followed his gaze to Adam.

Adam shifted back where he knelt by the coffee table, sitting back onto his thighs and giving a small shrug. "Uhm...a lot?" he supplied weakly.

Dean hummed. "Looks like you've got a passive ability. ...Feel any uh...tiredness? Or aches?" he questioned.

Adam shook his head in response, then paused with a frown. "I did last night. My eyes, my head...they hurt pretty bad, after uh...the whole bonding thing outside?"

Dean hummed a bit, a faint frown tugging at his lips. "Well, Sammy and I will help you figure out how to shut things off in case it looks like they'll be too much on you," he spoke with a short nod to himself.

Gabriel decided to finally step down from where he was still standing on the sofa, moving to sit. "So...what's it look like? You can tell Sam closed ours, right? What's it look like?" he asked curiously.

"I wasn't even sure what I was looking at, I thought I was imagining it...but uh...like uhm..." Adam spoke, tilting his head as he pursed his lips in thought. "Like light. Between you and Sam, it's..." he started, looking back and forth between Cassie and Dean again. He frowned. "...it's like a beam of light in water. It shifts and changes, but it's not...solid."

"Lemme guess...after yesterday, it's more solid for Cassie and Dean?" Gabriel prompted.

Almost immediately, Adam nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, for them, it's like a sunbeam spilling from the sky to the ground without anything to interfere. It just...pulses a little," he supplied, looking at them again.

Dean and Cassie were gazing at each other, fondness and consideration both in their gazes. Gabriel watched them for a moment, trying his best not to feel jealous...but he did. More than that, though, he was curious.

"It feel different?" he asked. As he spoke, he saw Alicia and Max moving over toward the sofa chairs on the other side of the coffee table from him.

"Yeah," Dean breathed, at the same time Cassie nodded and spoke a resolute, "Yes."

Cassie broke Dean's gaze and looked to Gabriel. "We had only begun to scratch the surface of sharing memory and thought. Now, it is nothing at all. ...That doesn't mean that there isn't still a separation between us; we are still individuals. But...I cannot explain it brother. It's just...more. Better, deeper, stronger," he said in a tone that bordered on reverential.

"I can't imagine being without it. I never...I'd never have thought that I'd want anything like this, but feeling Cas like this...I don't...I feel like I wasn't breathing before now, like I wasn't even existing," Dean spoke quietly, face flushed lightly as he stared at the coffee table and avoided anyone's gaze. In response, Cassie stepped forward, taking his hand and smiling softly at him. Dean didn't look up, but he smiled in much the same way as he visibly gave Cassie's hand a small squeeze.

...Gabriel was jealous. ...But he was also happy for his little brother. For both of them. He smiled warmly for a moment...then decided to ruin it all.

"So is the sex better?"

Dean groaned in irritation.

"Yes," Cassie spoke happily.

Dean gaped at him, flushing bright red, wings jerking in surprise.

Gabriel laughed in delight.

Max and Alicia shared some stories after that about things they shared with Sam and Dean in the past. "Mutual ass-kickings," Dean had called it. Adam was listening pretty raptly from where he remained by the coffee table, now sitting cross legged.

Dean and Cassie were sitting on the opposite end of the sofa to Gabriel, Dean's feet crossed at the ankle, legs sprawled across the wooden floor, and Cassie's socked feet up in Gabriel's lap as he leaned with his back and wings against his **_mate_**. Dean had snuck an arm between him and the back of the sofa and was softly rubbing circles over Cassie's ever-growing baby-bump as they all talked.

Gabriel sank back into the cushions with a soft sigh when he felt his connection with Sam open back up. ...He was angry, but settling down already. Gabriel closed his eyes and sent a warm pulse of love and soothing to him. Sam immediately sent love back, settling further now that they were able to feel one another again.

Conversation halted when Charlie and Sam reappeared off to the side. Charlie looked uneasy, casting glances at Sam as she moved to hand a duffel to Alicia, whom was closest to her out of the twins.

Gabriel opened his eyes, unsurprised to see a large swath of blood over Sam's clothes and face, and shot him a warm smile.

The others reacted differently, of course. Cassie's wings shot up in worry, smacking Dean's face along the way, but he didn't seem to mind it as he quickly rose, forcing Cassie to shift away so keep from falling back.

"Sam??" Dean exclaimed, looking him over.

Sam blinked, looking up from Gabriel to Dean, and then down to his clothes. "Oh. Just took care of something. I'll go grab a shower real quick," he spoke, tone entirely nonchalant despite a vague simmer still left from his fury.

Everyone else just watched as he walked off, shock written over their faces.

Slowly, Dean turned to Gabriel.

"Do you know what's going on?"

"Vaguely," Gabriel said with a shrug.

"...And are you going to share?"

"Mm...no," he answered.

Dean glowered at him, and Gabriel shot him an unimpressed look.

"Brother...we are concerned," Cassie spoke, interrupting their staring contest...and making Gabriel blink first.

He dropped his gaze down to his little brother, then glanced at Adam, Charlie, Alicia, and Max. Alicia was staring at her lap.

"He killed Phil," she spoke quietly.

Beside her, Max jerked and swiveled to look at her bodily. "Wait, your--" he began, then halted, staring. His hands clutched at the arm rests of the sofa chair. "Is that who attacked you?" he asked, voice full of venom.

Alicia gave a vague sort of nod, not really looking up.

Max stared at her, anger slowly draining, but still there, mixing with confusion. "But...but why? You two were...."

"I...I can't right now, Max. Not right now?" she spoke suddenly, looking up at him pleadingly.

Max frowned, forced himself back against the arm of the seat, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, released it, and finally opened his eyes. Everything about him was still tense, yes, but he was calmer. "Okay. Alright," he spoke softly.

Alicia gave him a weak smile, then swallowed tightly, looking at each of them. She was uncomfortable, that much was obvious. Everyone wanted to know, even Gabriel. ...But whatever it was, whatever had happened, it was obviously something she wasn't ready to really deal with just yet.

So...

"Hey, Cassie, did you know Heturi and Mefusa are going at it?" Gabriel spoke, looking at his little brother.

That caught everyone's attention. Cassie looked confused. "I believe you are mistaken, brother. They have shown no evidence of courtship," he spoke, tilting his head.

Gabriel grinned broadly. "Oh, no. I know. They're very sneaky. But I saw them wrapped up in one another in the kitchen the other night," he spoke. Secrets be damned, he'd been unable to come up with anything else to distract from Alicia's situation.

Dean had turned and was looking across the open layout and raised his eyebrows.

"I...I don't think he's kidding Cas. Other than Sam? They're the only ones not down here," he chipped in.

That had Cassie twisting to see for himself.

Gabriel noticed all the humans looking over curiously as well...except for Max. Max had a faint frown on his face. ...How curious.

' _You feel a little too pleased about something. What's going on?_ '

' _Oh, just...stirring the pot, I think's the phrase?_ '

' _Yes. Now tell me what's_ \--'

' _Oh, no, no, no, Sammy. You have your secrets...this one's all mine_.'

'... _I'm already regretting opting to surprise you_ ,' came dryly, but with no actual conviction to it.

Gabriel looked to Cassie, to keep Max from catching him staring, grinning happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You gais...I'm so sorry, but I was a little swamped at work today. I wanted to move on into the mall trip with this chapter, but...I didn't get to. And now I've got an hour left at work, and still a ton more to do before I leave, and then I gotta cook, and subsequently clean up when I get home and--  
> T-T...this is gonna be the only chapper for today.  
> I sowwy, FORGIB ME!  
> I wanted to write more. *pout*  
> Please enjoy, and know there is many things yet to come.
> 
> Also, if you guys hadn't guessed already, I beta myself, as I write, so if I mess up on a word or two, or miss out on formatting something...that's why. Sorry?


	60. Chapter 60

It got closer to lunch, and Dean went upstairs, coming back down with his mask and tossing it to Adam. "Keeping your identity under wraps is a good idea. You don't want yourself or anyone else getting hurt, Adam. And gallivanting around with the lot of us is going to bring attention down on you," he supplied.

Adam blinked, staring at the mask, then lifted it and pressed it to his face. He flinched at something, letting go of it and looking up at Dean in wide-eyed question.

Charlie giggled and answered the unspoken question. "Nanotech. Not much of anything, really...just enough to keep that from falling off. And nanotech certainly isn't anything as grand as they like to make it out to be on TV. When you're ready to take it off, press down and across the underside of it, and it'll release," she told him.

His eyes had gone to her as she'd spoken, and he tested it out. "Hm. Cool," he murmured.

By this time, Sam had long since come back down from upstairs as well, and had settled in beside Gabriel, clean and calm, and more than a little happy, too. He had glanced up to see and watch Adam with the mask, but then he went right back to burying his face against Gabriel's hair with a short hum. Gabriel understood; for the moment, all was well. Sam was content, even if he was still concerned about some things.

"Anyway...we should gather everyone up and get going. We have a reservation to make!" Charlie chimed.

Gabriel could feel Sam's pout against his head, but his mate pulled away, moving to get up.

"You made a reservation?" Dean spoke, rising from the other end of the sofa with Cassie.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Dean, you don't just show up to a restaurant with seventeen people and expect to be seated. Not anytime soon, anyway," Sam spoke with a faint smirk.

"Oh...yeah, I uh...I knew that," he murmured, flushing a bit.

"Sure," Sam responded dryly, looking toward the living room. He frowned and huffed. "Okay, so...I'm going to go hunt down our missing angels. Round everyone else up and get them ready for teleport? I don't think we'll want to fly all that way," he spoke, looking toward Dean.

Gabriel took the time to peek over and see that Sefir and Nariel had vanished from sofa in front of the TV, and Armaya was lingering by a window near the door, peering outside.

"Yeah, sounds good," Dean replied by the time Gabriel looked back around, starting to stand as well.

Sam headed off up the stairs after a bare moment, and Gabriel headed to grab Armaya while Dean-o pulled the attention of the other angels.

"What ya lookin' at?"

Armaya turned her head, glancing at him, then looking back out front. "Not much of anything. The creatures moving in the trees," she supplied with a short shrug.

Gabriel nodded, glancing past her and out the window, leaning against the wall beside it. "...I get the impression you don't miss much of what goes on around here," he said, looking back at her.

Armaya glanced at him, and there, almost hidden in her eyes, there was a sliver of humor. A second later, she let a hint of it show in a small curve of her lips as she gave a tilting nod of her head, returning her gaze outside.

Gabriel chuckled and shook his head. "Well...while we're waiting on my Sammy to bring down the couples...anything I should know about?" he asked.

That humor flared for a second, but she didn't respond immediately, instead considering what she wanted to lay out. Finally, she let out a soft hum before speaking, "Max heard you two, whatever you were saying, earlier. By the stairs. He looked...surprised," she spoke, looking a bit thoughtful.

Gabriel blinked, recalling the conversation. Ah. Oh shit.

' _Gabe? What's wrong?_ '

"Oh, and then there's Nariel," she continued.

Gabriel blinked, worry overriding his shock for a moment. "What about him?"

"He's been doing a lot of examinations on himself, up in the ship," she responded, looking over at him. "...And erasing the results."

' _Gabriel?_ '

' _We might have some issues._ '

"Any clue on what's going on there anyway?" he ventured, trying not to glance over as Sam, Heturi, Sefir, Nariel, and Mefusa spilled out of the stairway. The latter four headed toward a group gathered behind the sofa of the main living room area, but Sam headed straight for him, pulsing with worry.

Armaya gave a small shrug, shaking her head. "Just some speculation...nothing anywhere close to being concrete," she supplied.

She startled when Sam reached them and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked her concernedly as she turned enough to look at him.

Armaya blinked a couple of times, then offered a real, faint smile. "I am well, yes," she spoke, turning a bit more to see where everyone was peeking over at them, waiting. "Excuse me," she spoke, stepping back and out from under his hand, making her way over.

Sam watched her for a moment, then looked at Gabriel, concern still running high. Gabriel gave a weak smile, stepping closer to him and taking his hand. "Apparently Max overheard us earlier, Sammy. While we were talking about him, Heturi, and Mefusa," he said.

Sam winced and grimaced. "Shit," he breathed out lowly.

"He didn't take off running, so that's something, right? And...when he noticed them missing earlier, he looked a bit upset," Gabriel offered.

Sam frowned, nodding slowly. "Well...those may be good things, then. We'll see, I guess, but I think we should...carefully avoid any sort of subject that could be considered near to any of them. Who knows what'll make it take a bad turn?" he said.

Gabriel nodded. "...Armaya also believes something is going on with Nariel. She said he's been running exams on himself up in the medical stations and erasing the results."

Sam blinked, brow crinkling a bit in thought. There was concern from him at that, but there was also a strong pulse of curiosity. Gabriel tilted his head in question. "...She knows an awful lot about things going on around here. I don't know if I'm comforted by that, or alarmed," his **_mate_ **answered.

Gabriel chuckled and shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel on that, either, but...I don't feel like she's doing it maliciously."

After a few seconds, Sam nodded his agreement to the sentiment, then turned and led the way to the group.

"Okay, who's ready for a mass teleport?" he called out.

They landed in a large enclosed area, some of them stumbling as Sam's ability automatically compensated for surrounding mass and displacing them so that they didn't wind up stuck in something...or in one case, someone. Sam gave an uneasy pulse of emotion, moving immediately to apologize to the woman stumbling away from the sudden group of angels around her, her eyes wide.

Once the woman was gone, his mate was turning to make sure everyone was definitely in one piece.

"Calm down, Sam, we're all good," Moon Queen spoke with a small laugh. "Come on, we're practically late!" she said, grabbing Glips' arm and hauling her around to a place behind them.

Gabriel turned to follow, drawing up short at the entrance, covered in vines. Fake vines, it seemed. Most of his people were just staring, but a few were moving forward to see more, to see the inside.

Sam took his hand, a soft, fond humor flowing out of him as he guided Gabriel forward. Gabriel stumbled half a step, then focused and watched where a woman at a stand, a podium, outside of the establishment, stuttered, staring at all of them.

Sam moved them right up to Moon Queen's side. "I know this is a shock, but we all are hungry, so if you could show us to the table we reserved, we'd appreciate it," he offered up gently.

The woman blinked, took in a breath, and put on a strained, somewhat professional smile. "Of course, sorry! This way!" she said, turning and leading their group in.

There was an arch of fake greenery, and hidden in it...fake animals? Gabriel peered closely at one...and then it moved.

He wasn't the only one that shrieked and lifted his wings in surprise and shock...so he wasn't the only one that got laughed at, either. He shot a scowl at Sam all the same. "You coulda warned me--us!" he huffed.

Sam's amusement pulsed and he gave a simple smile, continuing to lead the way after the woman from outside.

Getting seated was an...ordeal. Ultimately, then spaced everyone out as much as possible, and himself, Sam, Cassie, Armaya, and Dean all went back and forth, answering questions and providing translations as much as possible.

When they had compiled a list of what everyone listed, Dean ordered on their behalf, and they all settled around the pushed-together tables.

The restaurant was cool, the people around them nice (even if there was an uncomfortable amount of staring), and the food good.

But something that he knew Sam had been fearing happened; they discovered someone had an allergy. Jivi started gasping for air, face red and splotchy, halfway through his salad. Even as Glips called for him, sitting right next to the history-keeper, Sam was already moving, up and around the table in a quick few strides, hands glowing as he crouched by Jivi's seat. Seconds passed, and Jivi was breathing easier, frowning as he looked from Sam to his food. Sam leaned forward, looking it over, poking at it with the fork. "... ** _Sesame seeds. Well, damn...I guess Chinese food is out of the question for you_** ," he said with a sigh.

" ** _Dude...that sucks_** ," Dean spoke.

Jivi looked at Sam, then Dean, then pouted. It was clear that the angel didn't want to miss out on something; he had been wholly fond of nearly all experiences he'd had on this planet so far, and to find out something was now excluded from him made the historian upset.

Sam gave him a weak smile, patting his shoulder. " ** _If you really want to try it, I'll be there to help you recover_** ," he offered.

Jivi sighed and shook his head. " ** _No...it would hardly be fair to you. Not to mention, I'd rather not feel like that again_** ," he responded. He shot a wan smile up at Sam. " ** _But thank you_**."

" ** _Of course. Hold on, I'll go get you a Caesar salad instead_** ," Sam spoke, picking up the China Island Chicken Salad and walking off to seek out one of the waitresses tending their table.

Gabriel munched more slowly, in Sam's absence, on the chicken sandwich he'd ordered. It was vaguely spicy, but nowhere near that jambalaya Sam had made, and Gabriel found himself handling it well. He much liked it, over all.

While he waited on his **_mate's_ **return, he glanced around the table. ...He was surprised to see that Heturi and Mefusa were actually seated next to one another. Beyond that, though, there was no indication of anything more between them. They were both eating in a civil manner, and more turned away from each other than toward.

Far more interesting than that was where Stag, a good few seats down, kept glancing at them with a faint frown. He was peering at them like he was trying to see what was there.

And Meadow was noticing, on the other side of him. She looked confused as she looked at what she could see of her brother's face, before following his line of sight and looking the two angels over. Gabriel watched them, now, intrigued.

And suddenly, after looking back at Stag, Meadow's eyebrows shot up in surprise, her mouth dropping open for a second before she quickly shut it, trying to hide her expression before anyone could notice. That had Gabriel's gaze sliding down just two seats from himself, where Armaya was sitting. She didn't show any indication that she'd been watching like he had...but he saw a small curl to her lips that had him guessing she had been.

He took another bite of his sandwich, staring down at it, before finally allowing his gaze back up to the twins.

Meadow's mouth was set in a concerned line, and she was looking back and forth between her brother and the pair near the end of the table. Then, with one hand, she picked up her fork, spearing a bite of food. Her eyes stayed on her food as she laid a hand on Stag's arm, squeezing lightly.

Stag blinked, gaze snapping around to her. He stared, but she didn't meet his eyes. Just gave another squeeze and left her hand where it was. Stag stared for another moment, then smiled faintly to himself, his shoulders losing a bit of tension as he went back to eating his own food.

Sam sent him a questioning pulse as he set a new salad in front of Jivi, shooting the angel a smile before moving to rejoin Gabriel. Gabriel beamed at him, showing him everything he'd just observed.

' _Wow. That's...shit, that's good!_ ' he said, beaming back at Gabriel as he sank into his seat. He was pulsing with happiness, and Gabriel couldn't help but lean toward him as he settled in to finish eating his meal.

Jivi had much liked his replacement salad, and was still happily fussing about it to Nariel as they all filtered out of the restaurant. Gabriel had wanted to order dessert, but Sam had nixed the idea, for some reason.

He was not pouting as a result of that.

Okay, maybe a li--...FINE. He was pouting a lot. It didn't help that Sam was pulsing amusement in response! Uhg.

Dean halted near the front of the group, glancing in their direction. Gabriel looked up at Sam to see him flashing a grin and a wave, before he was taking ahold of Gabriel and pulling him in, flush to his chest.

He felt that weird tug that he knew meant Sam had teleported and frowned when Sam kept him from pulling away so he could see where they were.

"We're going to go into this store behind you, Gabe. And no matter how much you want to open anything on the shelves, you're not going to do so while we're in there, okay? If you want it, or even if you're just curious about it, we'll get it. But no opening anything. Alright?" he spoke, pulsing with humor.

Gabriel frowned, managing to tilt his head enough to peek up at the grin Sam wore.

And then he froze. There was the smell of something sweet...lots of sweets. Lots of...chocolate. His feathers ruffled and he tried to pull away again, but Sam just chuckled. "Not until you agree," he chided softly.

Gabriel blinked, then nodded. "Yes, yes, okay, lemme go!" he huffed out.

Sam laughed lightly and released his hold and Gabriel pulled back and spun around.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, the sign above the brightly lit store read. It was very different from the restaurant, with glass windows displaying the inside of the store. But he wanted to _be_ inside the store, not just observe from the outside. And so, he shot forth, through the entry way.

Sam's amusement was light and bright within him, and he couldn't be bothered to be annoyed, because there was just too much to look at! ...To eat. He was going to get it _all_.

There were other customers in the store; he didn't pay them any mind, it was just a couple of people, and they'd yet to notice him.

But the three store attendants, all behind the large, glorious display of sweets, were looking at him. Two looked in shock...but the third, a young man, was grinning broadly, like his day had just been made.

"Welcome to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I'll give you three free samples, but that's it. Everything else, you'll have to pay for," he spoke.

Gabriel almost couldn't tear his eyes away from the display to look up at him. Whatever look he had on his face had the man chuckling. He then looked away, giving what looked to be a greeting smile. "Gotta say, wasn't expecting to see ya'll in person. But, if I understood that segment that aired, you used to be human, right?"

Sam stepped up to Gabriel's side, and while he had an edge of suspicion, he was overall happy with the interaction going on right then. "Yeah, I was. So, I grew up here, I know chocolate well. But Gabriel...well, he's got a real sweet tooth, and he's much newer to chocolate. He loves it. But he hasn't had caramel yet, let alone a caramel apple. Could we go ahead and buy one? I don't wanna make you slice one up and have it most of it go to waste," he said.

Gabriel looked up at Sam, feeling like he was going to vibrate out of his skin with excitement. The man was gesturing to a tall display at the end of the case then, drawing Gabriel's attention. "We've got lots of those. Wanna go with the basic, or something a bit more embellished?" he asked.

"Sam," Gabriel interrupted softly before his mate could respond. "Sam, I want all of it. I mean, _all_ of it."

Sam pulsed heavily with amusement that practically felt like laughter, and it had Gabriel spilling forth a giggle of his own.

"Gabe, you're gonna wind up a diabetic! That's not..." he began, but he trailed off when Gabriel looked up at him. Gabriel wasn't even sure of what expression he had, but it had Sam tilting his head back, his gaze going to the ceiling. "...You destroy my common sense, you know," he muttered to the panels above them. He then looked down at the attendant helping them and gave a sheepish smile. "So, uh...I think I'm about to make your labor costs for the month," he spoke.

The attendant had been smiling, but his face went slack in shock, gaze darting back and forth between them. "Wha...wait, seriously?" And then he was smirking broadly, humor lacing through his tone heavily. "Dude, you got it bad. You are _whipped_ ," he said with a laugh.

Sam laughed and gave a tilting nod. "Oh, you have no idea," he responded.

The attendant watched him for just a moment longer, then smiled, something warm and real, before turning to the two women that were still gawking at them. "Yo, Susan, Ashley...get to work, yeah? Start wrapping stuff up and bagging it," he spoke.

One of them startled, the other still staring. "Uh...oh. Uhm, okay, yeah," she let out, moving to get to work, and elbowing the other woman as she went and getting her moving, too.

The male attendant went to the register, the other store patrons having witnessed the scene and quickly moving to abscond with their treats before there wasn't anything to leave with.

"You know...I had planned on stopping at a second chocolate store, but I think we're going to have to forego that," Sam said lightly, smirking down at Gabriel.

"There's another one?" Gabriel breathed.

"Shit, I shoulda kept my mouth shut," Sam spoke, hanging his head. "Tell me you're at least going to share all of this? You could get seriously sick here, Gabe," he said, raising his head just enough for their gazes to meet.

"...How do you get sick offa chocolate? It's the best thing ever!" he protested.

There was a bright lance of humor, along with a small spike of heat that echoed into Sam's eyes and subsequent smirk. "Best thing, huh?" he teased lightly.

Gabriel stared, then nodded, smirking broadly.

"Oh. Oh, well. Ouch," Sam huffed out with a laugh.

Gabriel just grinned like the little shit he was. "Now, then, about this other chocolate store," he prompted.

And that was how Sam and Gabriel had shut down Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Lindt Chocolate for the day. Sam had teleported the both of them multiple times to get everything back to the compound, where most of it stayed out on the counter, and they fit what they could into the refrigerator.

And no, Gabriel wasn't serious about trying to eat it all himself. Yes, he wanted to _try_ it all...but he wanted to share, too. To enjoy it all with his friends and family.

They teleported back to the mall, finally, fingers twined together, and Gabriel's other hand holding the caramel apple as he bit into it. It was a simple one, the apple itself bearing red skin, and with nothing but a layer of brown stickiness over it.

"Mm! This...this is almost as good as chocolate!" he said, shooting Sam a bright smile. Love and fondness crossed their bond as Sam glanced at him, before taking to looking around. Knowing that he was seeking out the rest of their group, Gabriel just followed along, enjoying his apple happily.

They found them not too far along the way, barely inside a store that had a funny looking letter at the beginning of it.

"What...I don't recognize that letter, Sammy," he spoke, looking over at him.

"Oh, it's stylized. And actually copyrighted, I think. Uh, it's the letter D. Welcome to the Disney store," he said with a bright smile. Gabriel blinked, peering in curiosly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work's sending me home early. Protests in our city and all. So, for now, that's it. I hope to get another chapter in today, but I do have to go out to pick up other people later, so...we'll see.
> 
> <3


	61. Chapter 61

Sam had been surprised that the group hadn't made it all that far from the Rainforest Cafe; personally, Sam didn't think much of the stores between there and where they were at now.

But he was happy to have caught up with them here, honestly. The angels were spreading out into the store, poking at stuffed animals, dolls, purses, glasses...all sorts of things.

Moon Queen had Glips over by a bunch of toy tiaras, eyeing them over and glancing at the angel as she considered. Glips, while mostly watching Moon Queen, was also glancing at the sparkly things with a great amount of curiosity.

Heturi and Mefusa were actually lingering close together, and Sam suspected it had to do with them being uncomfortable with a foreign environment, even if they were curious about it. What was more, though...Stag was lingering close to them, and his sister was gently poking at his back, forcing him closer. More than once, he swatted at her hand and shot her a scowl. She rolled her eyes and poked his side with the most recent scowl, and he had jumped to the side at that, bumping into a couple of Mefusa's wings.

He froze, staring at his sister with wide eyes. She smirked and turned away like she hadn't ever been looking at him as she picked up something and looked it over. It left poor Stag to whip around with wide eyes, starting to give an apology or something.

At his side, Gabriel was watching as well, smiling a bit. Letting Gabriel take over observance there, Sam took to seeking out the other angels.

Unti and Jivi were looking at Lego sets, most of which were Star Wars.

Armaya was eyeing some of the children's books, fingers brushing over one before she picked it up and browsed through it.

Adam was lingering a good few feet behind her, but he was eyeing something on a shelf that Sam couldn't see from where he stood. He had a faint lost look on his face and Sam frowned in concern, deciding to address whatever was going on with the youngest member of his family.

"Hey, you alright?" he spoke as he neared.

Adam blinked, looking at him and grimacing a bit, giving a weak shrug. "Yeah, I uh...it's stupid, but uh..." he spoke, then gestured to a Baymax figure sitting on a shelf in a box. "Big Hero 6 was the last movie I saw with my mom, before she got sick. She...she loved the movie. And Baymax was her favorite character," he said quietly.

"...Moon Queen didn't say what happened. Do you wanna talk about it?" Sam offered.

Adam breathed out a heavy sigh. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to refuse, or maybe say he'd prefer to talk later. So Sam was mildly surprised when Adam, still staring at the figure, went ahead. "She worked hard, ya know? On her feet all the time. So, ya know, feet aches, pain in her legs...that was a total given. One day, though...she had a stress fracture. She collapsed at work with a stress fracture in the shin of her left leg. ...Mom wasn't anywhere near being overweight. She'd been..." he gave a bitter laugh, gaze falling to the floor. "She'd actually been losing weight, but I didn't think much of it. I don't know if she'd given it any thought, either." He paused, finally looking up at Sam with a weak smile. "Chondrosarcoma. Bone cancer. Usually presents in the pelvic region, but...it didn't for her. And it wasn't caught in time. It'd metastasized, was eating her alive. She was dead two weeks later," he confessed quietly.

Sam felt his wings trying to curl in with the pain he felt for his little brother. "I...If...fuck," he muttered, shaking his head.

Adam smiled a bit more and shrugged. "It's been a couple of years. Yeah, it hurts, but...not as bad anymore. And I know. I know you would've helped, Sam. But we didn't have a clue about each other until a completely coincidental mutual vision just days ago...which is bizarre, if you ask me, but...I'm...I'm happy not to be alone anymore," he finished quietly.

Sam blinked, then reached up, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. "As long as you want to be around, you're welcome, Adam," he assured him.

"Sam," Armaya interrupted suddenly. Adam jumped under his hand and his head nearly snapped off his neck with how quickly he looked over to see her standing barely half a foot from him. ...His expression was hilarious, but Sam didn't tease, especially not after what they'd been discussing, and suspecting that Armaya had caught every last bit of it. But Armaya didn't address it, didn't even look at Adam, instead holding up an armful of children storybooks related to Disney characters. "I...would like these, please," she spoke, tone even and betraying nothing...but she had a faint blush to her cheeks. Which, Sam supposed he understood. They were far from the text books she usually curled around in the reading corner at the compound. But maybe that was exactly the appeal. The playful stories, the colorful drawings, rather than droll facts and precise diagrams.

Sam gave a warm smile. "Of course. Take 'em up to the register, okay? Ask them to set them aside to go with the group purchase," he told her.

Armaya gave a small smile, looking much like she was trying to restrain it, and stepped away quickly to do as told.

Adam watched her go, a curious frown on his lips.

"You know...you could try talking to her," Sam ventured.

Adam looked up at him, eyes wide and blush mostly hidden by Dean's old mask. "Wha--I--"

"It took a lot of time for Dean and I to unlearn the old Winchester emotional constipation. ...And even though I thought I was better at it all, Dean was actually with Cas long before I actually was with Gabe...even though I'm pretty sure I loved Gabriel before Dean even thought of Cas in any sort of romantic way," he said.

Adam frowned, glancing over toward the register area, then looked back at Sam and shook his head. "Nah, man, she looks at me the same way as everyone else. She's not interested."

"And she might never be. But Armaya...she's a good person," Sam spoke, glancing off the direction she'd gone, figuring she'd moved on to another section of the store since she'd yet to return. "She'd be a good friend. If it's never anything more...well, that'd be okay, wouldn't it?"

Adam blinked, then chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, it would. I just...I don't know how to talk to her. She's quiet."

Sam chuckled and squeezed his shoulder again before releasing it. "You'll figure it out, don't worry."

"Thanks, Sam."

"Anytime," Sam said, and then just to be a total shit, he ruffled Adam's hair, making him grouse as Sam walked off with a chuckle.

It was Dean and Cas he found next. Dean was grinning at Cas broadly, and Cas was staring at what he had with a heavily dubious look. Shifting slightly, Sam chuckled to see a baby onesie in his big brother's hands, with the image of a storm trooper helmet on it, and the words 'Little Trooper' written around it.

At his chuckle, the other mated couple looked up at him. Dean beamed all the brighter. "Perfect, right?"

Sam's eyes slid to Cas', and the angel was pouting now; Sam had a feeling he thought he was about to be outnumbered.

Sam looked back at Dean and shrugged. "I don't know, Dean. I mean...nearly all storm troopers are dark-side. Do you really want to give that message about your son?" he challenged instead.

Dean blinked and his wings sagged, reflecting the pout he was refusing to give.

Cas tilted his head. "Dark-side?" he questioned.

Dean looked at Cas then. "...We have got to give you some serious pop culture lessons in the form of movies," he decided.

"We need to do that for everyone, really. Anyway...here, what about this one?" Sam spoke, picking up a pajama set with Stitch on it.

Cas frowned, taking it. "What sort of animal is this?"

Sam couldn't help a small laugh. "Not an animal, a character. Purely fictional. It's from a movie produced by Disney...pretty much everything in here is based off their movies."

Cas glanced around for a second, then looked back down at the pajamas and frowned. "By the time he's old enough to wear this, his wings will be coming in. We would have to alter it."

Sam almost asked about that, about when exactly they could expect their children to be growing their wings, but Meraya walking past with almost too many dolls to carry cut him off. He stared after her, only letting himself chuckle when she was out of earshot, and decided to save that conversation. For their grace-healer, Nariel. And find a way to figure out what was going on with him in the process.

He turned back to Cas and smiled. "So we'll alter it, when the time comes. Get whatever you want for him, Cas," he offered up.

Cas looked at him, then over to Dean. Dean smiled warmly, giving a short nod. "Anything for our little bean," he spoke fondly.

Sam walked off to Cas fussing at Dean that he couldn't keep calling their son that, he was much larger than a bean by now.

He found Sefir and Nariel not much further away, at the tail end of the Lego display, which consisted of the Marvel sets. " ** _Hey, guys. See anything you're interested in, in here?_** " he asked as he neared.

They both turned to look at him and Sefir had a faint look of confusion to him. " ** _Not really, just...more confusing things, I suppose. What is the purpose of these...things? They look to be toys, but_**..."

" ** _But surely toys like this are too intricate for a child_** ," Nariel spoke, looking at an Iron Man Mask set.

" ** _Mm, they are. But some teens are interested in 'em, and plenty of adults. ...Humans don't stop playing with toys just because they're adults, and that's okay. These...these are a constructive outlet. There's many different reasons why someone would buy it and take the time to put it together. For the joy of it, as something to focus on when they're stressed...any number of reasons, many I wouldn't have a clue on, honestly_** ," Sam provided.

Sefir nodded to Sam, and Nariel turned, staring for a moment before picking up the Iron Man Mask set. He shot a questioning look at Sam, and Sam just gave a nod. With that, Nariel headed back toward the front of the store. Sefir stared for a second, looking curious, then quickly moved to follow after.

' _So...did I miss anything major?_ '

' _Oh, yeah_ ,' Gabriel responded with a strong pulse of humor.

' _Show me?_ '

_Stag stuttering an apology that Gabriel couldn't hear, but he could see him backing up a step and frowning. And while he couldn't hear, he recognized the shape of the word he spoke next. The Enochian word of apology._

_Mefusa's eyes had gone wide._

_Heturi's wings had curled under as he stared at Stag earnestly._

_Stag's eyes had traced over Heturi's wings. And it seemed that made Heturi realize the display he was giving. His wings twitched, almost withdrawing, but Stag had looked up, met his eyes...and Heturi had kept them in position._

_The exchange was not lost on Mefusa. He'd tensed, expression strained...but when he saw that Stag wasn't retreating, wasn't backing away, wasn't turning up his nose...that he looked interested, as much as a wingless could in this situation, he'd slowly, cautiously, curved the tips of his wings forward, exposing the underside a bit more. It wasn't the full display that Heturi was doing, but Stag's eyes moved to his wings, then up to Mefusa's face. A simple smile from the human had Mefusa and Heturi in a full courtship display._

Sam made his way back toward the front of the store, seeking out his **_mate_** , both of them spilling and pulsing happily into their bond.

' _I had no clue Max was listening or learning enough to pick up on any Enochian yet_.'

' _I'm willing to bet Charlie helped him with that or something. No clue, though_ ,' Gabriel responded. ' _Holy crap, kiddo...you oughta see the pile at the register. The haul of baby clothes from Cassie alone...we're going to have to make a few trips to get it all back.'_

Well, that told him where to find the golden angel. He was there in seconds, chuckling as Gabriel jumped when he turned and found him there. "Maybe. I might be able to manage it in...wow, three trips, maybe? That is a lot...and I noticed some people already have bags from other stores, too," he spoke aloud.

There was a slightly harried looking woman at the register, and a couple of other employees trying to keep everything organized for them. Sam grimaced. "Hey, you guys? Don't worry about trying to keep things separate. It's all being paid for at once, all going to the same place...and we'll sort it all out later on," he offered up.

The employees are glanced up at him, looking uncertain, so he gaze his best reassuring smile. "Thank you," the harried woman breathed.

"Hey, misser?" a small voice spoke from behind them. Sam and Gabriel turned to see a small boy, no more than fix-six years old, standing there, fidgeting. Gabriel crouched down, since the boy's eyes were on him, and Sam looked around, trying to spot his parents. There were no adults nearby that seemed to be missing him, though, not that he immediately saw.

"Hey there, big guy. What's up?" Gabriel asked with a warm voice.

"Coul...coul I have a feader?" the boy asked.

Sam's eyes went wide and shot down to the boy. It took all he had not to react bodily to that. He did not like the idea, knew that it could hurt to tug on feathers, let alone pull one out.

But Gabriel was apparently a sap when it came to children, because he could feel his mate's agreement before he even spoke, his wings stretching out in display. "Okay, but just one! Pick," he told him with a soft smile.

The boy's smile was admittedly bright and stunning, and he looked Gabriel's feathers over. All Sam could do was give Gabriel waves of soothing and love.

Finally, the boy pointed to one toward the center wing on Gabriel's left side, near the middle. "That 'un? Please?"

Gabriel reached up, the angle slightly awkward for him to reach, touching one. "This one?" he asked. When the boy nodded excitedly, Gabriel chuckled and tugged at it. He felt that Gabriel's small spike of pain, just enough to know it was there but not to feel it physically himself.

In the same instant, there was a call of, "Connor!" from about ten feet or so away. Sam looked up, seeing a woman start to look around frantically. He raised a hand and waved at her. When she spotted Sam, she froze, eyes wide for a moment. And then they came down to where Gabriel was handing over his feather. She looked completely aghast. "Connor!" she shrieked, shooting forward.

By the time she reached them, though, the boy had the feather and had turned, holding it up like a prized possession. "Mama, I got a feader!" she announced happily.

She halted in front of him, pushing a smile on her face. "So I see. Did you say thank you?" she said. As the boy turned to do just that, she mouthed an, "I am so sorry," to Sam.

Sam smiled warmly and shook his head as Gabriel gave Connor a soft, "You're welcome. Take good care of it, yeah?"

"Yes, misser!" Connor chirped, and the mother led her child away.

Gabriel stood back up straight, and Sam pulled him around, kissing him deeply; screw anyone that had objection to the PDA. Love pulsed between them, and a healthy scoop of adoration from Sam as well.

When they parted, mostly because air was essential, Gabriel chuckled. "Hold on, let's go find more kids to give feathers to," he quipped.

"Shut up, you twit," Sam laughed.

It was minutes later that everyone regrouped and items were paid for. Sam teleported back and forth as quickly as he could, piling everything over one of the dining area tables, having them go on ahead and opting to catch up.

By the time they had made it around the whole of the mall, Sam was tired from teleporting so much. In need to catch his breath, he suggested trekking to Dave and Buster's for dinner before they headed home. Plus, it'd give the angels some entertainment in the form of video games.

And so, they trekked back down the length of the mall, where they'd doubled back to get the other side of the main body of the building and the stores there, heading for restaurant there.

By this time, nearly every angel had caught on to the new dynamic happening in their midst; Heturi, Stag, and Mefusa. For the most part, Stag walked in between them, and they communicated as much as the limited knowledge of their differing languages would allow. Sometimes they shifted around their positions, with Stag taking an outside position and either Mefusa or Heturi in the middle. But for the most part...they seemed comfortable with one another despite their language barrier. Sam was really hopeful for them.

They reached Dave and Buster's and the group came to a halt when, for the first time, they ran into an issue.

The woman standing at the door looked genuinely apologetic as she addressed Moon Queen, and Sam caught the tail end of her words as he approached. "--is denying your party entry. I-I'm sorry," she said.

Moon Queen looked stunned. "Wow. Really? That's...well, okay then," she said, pressing her lips together in a thin line.

Sam could guess what was going on, but wasn't sure if it was on a corporate or franchise level. He sighed and shook his head. "That's alright. Thank you for being kind about it," he said simply.

Moon Queen frowned up at him, then huffed and shook her head. "Alright, so...any ideas on what to do for food, then? I don't really feel like walking the whole length of the mall again," she pouted, turning to the group.

"I noticed the...Romano's Macaroni Grill on the directory map last time we passed one. It's pretty much just around the corner from here. And they're a franchise with a good reputation. Maybe they'll seat us?" Adam piped up.

And indeed, when the group made their way to the entrance to the Italian restaurant, they found the staff there to be more than accommodating. It was a nice end to their half-day long excursion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! I was actually thinking I might not be able to get another chapter out today, even with getting off work early. ...I napped when I got home, before I went to pick peoples up (we share da car).  
> ...BUT I DID!
> 
> I might be taking tomorrow off from writing. I'm not sure, depends on my muse. She was on the tired side today. I mean, she gave me plenty, but she was kinda slow in waking up, so...idk. We'll see, but just be warned, there might not be anything tomorrow.
> 
> Okay, is almos bedtimes nao, so nigh nigh!


	62. Chapter 62

When they got back to the compound, Sam was beyond exhausted. Not so much in the way of his soul-energy (though he was a little worn there), but in his physical and mental energy? Definitely. Keeping pace with all the angels, making sure no one strayed too far...it'd been a task, even with the help of his brothers and other humans. Not to mention, that much teleporting...well, he was just happy he'd gotten them home in one piece.

Everyone wound up sitting at the dining table they ate at, enjoying some of Gabriel's caramel apples that he opted to share, and then they went to sorting the messes spread across the other tables, taking off with the items they'd chosen to store them in their rooms and then coming back to find anything they left behind.

The first to retire for the night was Mefusa. Heturi and Max both watched him go, but neither made a move to follow.

Next were Sefir and Nariel, then Meraya, with the last of her things.

Charlie then approached Sam, giving a rueful smile. "I need to head back to Cove. I've taken enough time off," she said, glancing in Glips' direction with a weak smile. Sam chuckled and shoved her gently in the angel's direction. "Go say a proper goodbye, and I'll 'port you back. And we're just a call away, you can come back any time," he said.

Charlie shot him a smile, heading over to Glips. Sam watched as Glips looked down for a moment at whatever Charlie relayed, then glanced back up with a small smile and a nod. And then her wings went up high when Charlie pecked her on the lips and skipped her way back to Sam, flushing brightly. "Ready!" she chirped as she reached him, not looking back. Sam chuckled and reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, and taking her back to Cove.

"You shoulda seen her face, Char," he teased as they touched down. Charlie just grinned shyly and shoved at his shoulder. With a laugh, he went back to the compound.

More of the angels had gone off to their rooms in his short absence, and Gabriel was catching his hand no sooner than he'd touched down, starting to pull him toward the elevator with a warm smile, and a faint amount of heat in their bond. Sam perked, following along interestedly.

He was aware that Gabriel was awake, up and about. He felt emotions out of him, rather than he dulled peacefulness that sleep typically offered.

And Gabriel was being entertained something, something he was enjoying pretty immensely. So Sam slept in, figuring his brothers or the twins could take care of breakfast this time.

But then there was a creeping dread out of Gabriel. And then horror, that had Sam stirring. And then grief, pulsing from him, and Sam shot up out of bed, barely managing to pull on pants before he followed instinct to teleport to his mate's side.

He froze, looking around at a living room almost completely full of angels, all of them staring at the TV with teary eyes. In Glips' and Unti's case, there were barely restrained sobs coming out of them.

Sam turned to look at the TV.

"Dad? Dad, get up, come on," Simba was saying. Gabriel was shakily translating, a whimper falling from his lips as he did.

He was going to murder whoever put on this movie and didn't warn the angels first.

He snagged up the remote and paused it, and all eyes turned on him. " ** _Guys. It's okay. I know, it's sad. But it's not real. It's a story, meant to draw you in. And obviously, it's done it's job. But it's just a story, just a movie...remember that, okay?_** " he offered them all gently.

Glips, sniffling, was the first to nod.

" ** _We...we'd like to see the rest_** ," Sefir said quietly, eyes moving back to the screen.

Sam's eyes scanned the area, landing on Gabriel last as he put the movie back on. He stepped over, kissed the top of his head, and sent a warm pulse of love to him. Appreciation and love met it, and Sam headed off to track down the people missing from the living room.

Dean and Cas, he found in the kitchen, Cas helping Dean with cooking.

"Dean. Did you put The Lion King on for the angels?" he asked flatly.

Dean blinked, turning to look over his shoulder as he worked. "Uh...yeah? Why?"

Sam huffed out a sigh. "Because they became emotionally invested, it sucked them in...and then Mufasa died," he said airily.

Dean blinked confusedly. "Okay? Why--"

"Dude, they're all in tears."

"Wh--really? But they're like...battle-hardened or whatever."

"Yeah, they all have their ways of dealing with the trauma of battle, but I don't think they were expecting that out of an animated movie, Dean. I mean, you remember how it starts, right? Music, happiness, some laughter...then everything changes and Simba's dad is dead?" he prompted.

"Oh. Well, shit," Dean said with a worried frown.

"Yeah...be more careful about the movie choice next time," Sam advised, tilting his head as he spotted movement from beyond the sliding glass doors.

"Will do," Dean responded as Sam headed off in that direction.

Sam paused short of opening the sliding glass door, watching. Max, Mefusa, and Heturi were sparring altogether.

Though nature was where Max's abilities came into play the best, he wasn't using them, opting to work on sharpening his physical skill, it seemed.

It took all he had not to laugh when Heturi, thinking Max was sufficiently distracted in parrying a blow from Mefusa, launched at his back. But Max had always been good at keeping a sense of where people were when fighting, and he turned, catching a surprised Heturi around the waist and by the shoulder, somehow managing to lift and flip him in the hold, throwing him straight into Mefusa. The two angels landed in a heap on the ground and Max bounced back a few steps, grinning and then starting to laugh. The laugh built enough to make him double over when the angels shot him scowls of indignation.

Heturi was up first and launched, tackling Max to the ground with an 'oof' that barely made it through the closed glass separating Sam from the scene.

Mefusa said something as he made it to his feet, and that had Heturi glancing back at him with a grin.

Max took the opportunity to reach up, gaze curious and a little fond, and press a hand into Heturi's left wing. It made the angel sitting on his stomach pause and look down at Max, almost just as curious. Mefusa stepped closer, watching them.

From where he was, Sam wasn't sure what was passing between them, but when Max started to curl up toward the angel that had him pinned, pressing his free hand into the flowers and grass behind him, he turned and granted them privacy.

When he turned, he almost jumped. Alicia was there and starting to look away as well. Her eyes met Sam's briefly, though, and she looked both happy for her brother, and more than a little amused. Sam shot her a smile, but said nothing, heading to find the last person missing from the angels in the living room. And he had a strong suspicion exactly where he'd be.

Entering the medical station of the ship confirmed those suspicions. Nariel was there, at enough of an angle that Sam could see a frown on his lips. His feathers were fluffed in agitation as well.

" ** _Nariel_** ," Sam spoke, announcing his presence.

The grace-healer jumped, wings snapping up in surprise as he turned to stare owlishly at Sam. It took him a moment but he calmed, one hand moving over the screen now beside him swiftly, purging whatever had been there. " ** _Hi Sam_** ," he greeted with a strained smile.

Sam raised an eyebrow. " ** _We're friends, man. Talk to me. What's going on?_** " he spoke, tone edging on stern.

Nariel winced, his wings twitching in between shame and agitation. " ** _I_**..." he started, then sighed and moved to one of the high stools, sitting down. " ** _I'm not sure? I noticed, much later than I should have, that I missed my cycle. So I ran a scan, but...there's nothing I can find. And sometimes...sometimes things are more easily seen, more easily read, with grace. So I...I tried to examine myself that way, but...Sam, I...I can't access my grace_** ," he spoke, looking...uncertain, uneasy...scared.

Sam blinked. " ** _Not at all? I mean, it's not that it's just more painful than usual or something is it?_** " he asked, stepping closer.

Nariel shook his head. " ** _It's painful to try, yes, but...I simply cannot get it to react_** ," he admitted.

" ** _Okay. When was the last time you remember calling it forth?_** "

Nariel was quiet, frowning as he considered. "... ** _The day we were all attacked. ...The day you almost...almost died_** ," he finally answered hesitantly.

Sam swallowed, keeping his emotions to himself so that Gabriel wouldn't wind up being disturbed from the movie. He had a vague sense of horror, though. A strong suspicion. Something in him was ringing with it. _I did this_. And he was willing to bet Nariel wasn't the only one he'd done it to. ...One step at a time, though.

" ** _Alright...I'm going to see what I can feel, okay? See if I can fix this. I...I may need to physically touch you, and if I do, don't pull away, alright? Most people...they don't like the sensation of my energy when I directly touch them with it_** ," he explained.

Nariel nodded, looking to be relaxing. Sam wondered about that a bit, wondered if Nariel had been considering coming to him about this already. But for now, he pushed that aside and stepped forward, invading Nariel's personal space just a bit and raising his hands as he pulled his energy forth.

Nothing wrong with his body, Sam could immediately feel that, and it made him wonder just how much grace affected their biology. After all, as Nariel had said; this started when he noticed he hadn't had his cycle. So was their grace tied in to their cycle somehow? Was that the reason Sam's had been so very hard on him? ...Something to think about later. Right now, he needed to look, to feel, deeper. So he pressed his energy forward, and...while he could almost feel Nariel's grace, it wasn't enough to really sense anything beyond that. Just like it'd once been with Gabriel, just like the one time he'd reached out to Cas, he would have to make physical contact to feel anything significant.

Following some sort of instinct, Sam drew his hands up from where they'd been hovering over Nariel's chest, reaching forward and carefully cradling the sides of his neck, fingers overlapping over the back of it. Nariel startled at the touch, but settled immediately, having been warned already.

Almost right away, Sam felt it. It was like the grace had been formed into a jar. Not put into one, but formed into one, and a lid stuck on top. It was...very strange, but that was what it felt like. Sam tilted his head, feeling his brow crease as he ran his energy against it. Nariel shuddered under his hands, expression discomforted, but he didn't move otherwise.

Sam reached the lid, and...and it was him. He was the lid. How? That didn't make sense. When had he done this? How had he done it? There was no denying it, for him, that this was his work, something he'd done. He just...knew it on a base level. But he didn't know anything beyond that. For instance, he didn't know how it was that something like this could happen and not result in a bond like he had with Gabriel. But in the same instance, it didn't feel like a piece of him, so much as just something he'd done, so maybe that was why?

Whatever. Whatever this was, however he'd done it, whatever answers he sought, he wasn't going to get them by leaving it in place. And all it took was a mere brush of a thought, and the lid was gone.

He paused short of pulling away then. There was something niggling in his mind, in his instincts. He felt himself tilting his head to the side, eyes narrowing in consideration. What was that, now? Something...something else. Something he could change. But it wasn't something that was automatic, it was something that he just had the option for. But he had no real clue what it was...and he didn't want to risk hurting his friend, not any more than he already had with that lid. So, clearing his expression, he gave a faint smile and pulled back, giving Nariel a nod. " ** _All done_** ," he told him simply as he dropped his hands down before tucking them into the pockets of his sleep pants.

...He needed to go get a shower and get into some real clothes.

He watched as Nariel blinked once, then grimaced as he reached for his grace. But then his expression smoothed into one of relief.

" ** _Thank you, Sam_** ," he spoke, looking back up at him gratefully.

Sam shook his head. " ** _Don't. Because, Nariel, I honestly don't know how or when, but...I'm the reason you couldn't get to your grace in the first place. Man...I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't know_** ," he spoke, tone beseeching.

Nariel looked surprised, frowning slightly, but then he shook his head. " ** _It's alright, Sam. I believe you. I know you wouldn't purposely harm me...not that it really hurt all that much. I mean, I didn't even notice, may not have for quite some time yet, had I not realized my cycle was over due_**."

" ** _Yeah...about that, is grace tied to cycles, then?_** "

" ** _In a way, yes. But it's...it's not the grace that prompts the cycle, but the cycle that ties in with the grace, if that makes sense? It's one of the very rare things that our sciences have yet to be able to explain_** ," Nariel offered.

"... ** _Do you think that's why my cycle was so bad? That...that it might wind up being that bad again, whenever I get one next?_** " Sam asked quietly.

Nariel frowned in thought, and a good bit of concern. " ** _It's...a strong possibility, Sam, but there's...not enough data to say for certain_** ," he admitted after a long, quiet moment.

Sam sighed softly and nodded. Time would tell. " ** _Okay, one more question, and then I'll quit bugging you for now_** ," he said with a chuckle. There were more questions he wanted to ask, but he'd wait on them for now. " ** _I've gathered enough information to know that fledglings are not born with wings, and thank God for that, but...when exactly do they develop them, then?_** " he asked.

"Between five and eight months of age, really, but usually within the six month is when they start to show signs of sprouting, as we call it. It's much like you saw with Dean, but much slower. Nodules form on the back and from there, the wings slowly make their way out."

"... ** _That doesn't sound pleasant_** ," Sam spoke with a faint frown.

" ** _The pain is similar to the pain of teething. Until the wings manage to form enough to emerge and grow outside the child's body, there will be pain and discomfort on the same level as when forming teeth_** ," Nariel supplied.

Sam's lips pulled to the side with his grimace. He didn't think he'd be able to help their children much through that; it was a natural process, not something he could heal or speed up, not at that age, not like he had been able to do for Dean. He sighed and shrugged. " ** _Alright, thanks Nariel. Come on, I'm sure breakfast is ready by now_** ," he said with a smile.

Nariel smiled and nodded, standing from the stool to follow Sam down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My muse woke up.  
> Bam, chappie.
> 
> I want to get another out today, but I'm doubting it'll happen? Because...I gots to cook and clean again tonight. So...*pout* I sorry you gais.


	63. Chapter 63

They ate in front of the TV, the whole lot of them, as The Lion King drew to a close on the TV. When the credits began, Sam took that as the time to speak up. " ** _I need a show of hands, guys_** ," he began, looking down at the beef chipped gravy on toast on his plate. "... ** _Who can't access their grace?_** " he said, turning to watch them, to see how many of them he'd affected.

Most of them startled at the question, and Gabriel gave him a curious prod, but Sam just waited; he'd explain to his mate later. This, right now...he needed to fix whatever he'd done, whomever he'd affected.

There were grimaces around the room...but it was only Sefir and Mefusa that raised their hands, both looking confused and more than a little afraid.

" ** _What...what's going on?_** " Mefusa asked, before Sefir could speak up.

" ** _Honestly, I don't know. I know that...it's me, I did something_** ," he spoke, sitting his plate on the coffee table and standing from his spot on the floor beside it. " ** _I did it to Nariel, but don't...don't worry. I can undo it, too. It's not going to be comfortable for you guys, but it doesn't hurt, either. I just...I'm sorry, guys. I did it unknowingly...I'm not sure how, when, or why, I just can recognize that I did it. And...I'm sorry_** ," Sam offered up.

At his sincere apology, all of the angels relaxed, but Heturi still looked vaguely upset, sidling just a hint closer to Mefusa from his place between him and Max. " ** _Please undo this binding now?_** " he requested quietly.

Sam gave a weak smile and nodded, deciding on heading for Mefusa first; Sefir didn't look quite as perturbed as both Mefusa and Heturi. He halted in front of the stormy winged angel, reaching out his hands, energy already pulled forward. He halted, though, frowning a bit. The feel was different than Nariel. Not centered in his neck. Slowly, Sam took a step back. "... ** _Could you...stand up and uh...turn around for me, Mefusa?_** " he asked, tilting his head.

Mefusa blinked, curious, but nodded, standing up and turning. Sam moved his hands forward again, but found himself dropping one, the other pressing to the center of Mefusa's upper back, between his shoulders and upper wings joints. Mefusa's wings made a small jerking motion, feathers ruffling in discomfort, but he seemed to already know not to move, and Sam focused on the sensations under his hand.

Just like Nariel, his grace was formed into a jar, with a tight lid sitting atop it. With a mere thought, Sam brushed it away, and was exposed to the feel of Mefusa's grace.

And that odd little instinct he'd felt with Nariel twinged, _hard_.

He didn't know what this would do. But it felt like...like it needed to be done. With Nariel it was an option. With Mefusa, it was...yes, something he could still draw away from, but it would feel wrong to do it. And after feeling so much wrong in his life, after correcting so many of them, almost all of them...it went against his being to pull away, to commit a wrong.

So, he pulled forth the demanding little sensation and let it guide him. It was like...like sitting in front of a control panel and flipping switches. He had no idea what he was doing, but whatever it was, Mefusa didn't seem to be feeling it. Didn't seem to be suffering for it, either, and that was definitely good.

With the last one, Sam lingered for a second, trying to get a sense of what he'd done, but there was nothing he could really pick up on. Just a sense that...it was done. So, he pulled his hand away, watching Mefusa turn. " ** _How do you feel?_** " he asked him quietly.

Mefusa blinked once, then twice, then frowned a bit, shaking his head. " ** _I am able to access my grace without any issue_** ," he supplied. Looking a bit uneasy still, he moved to return to his seat beside Heturi.

Sam wasn't sure what to make of that reaction, but Mefusa said he could access his grace now, so...it was Sefir's turn. Sam moved over to him as he stood and reached his hands forward. ...It was below his throat, at the very upper part of his chest, for him. Hm, interesting. It seemed, like human souls, that angel grace could center on a particular location, varying by individual. Sam wasn't all that surprised, really, but he hadn't been wholly expecting it.

He brushed it off, deciding it was just one of those things, and pressed his hands against Sefir. Again, a mere brush of thought removed the lid, and Sam felt Sefir's grace. And while the nagging little instinct was there, and stronger than it had been with Nariel, it wasn't as insistent as it had been with Mefusa. So, Sam decided, until he knew what it was, what exactly he'd done to Mefusa...he would ignore it. He pulled his hands away and looked at Sefir questioningly.

Sefir blinked, grimaced as he reached for his grace, then shot Sam a thankful smile as he nodded. " ** _I am once again able to pull it forward. Thank you, Sam_** ," he said.

Sam shook his head. " ** _Like I said...I did this. Don't thank me, I was just fixing it_** ," he said with a tight smile.

" ** _I have a theory_** ," Nariel spoke up as Sam went back to where he'd been seated. He waited until both Sefir and Sam were seated once again before he continued. " ** _I think you did it instinctively. Myself, Mefusa, and Sefir were the only ones to touch you, following the incident that nearly took your life, after you formed your partial bond with Gabriel. I believe that, since you were in pain, you sought to protect yourself from anyone that dared to touch you. I did so while you were under my care...and it was Mefusa and Sefir that had carried you into the medical station at that time_** ," he said.

" ** _You got a hole in that theory. I touched Sam, too_** ," Dean spoke up for the first time since the movie credits had started.

Nariel paused, but Sam took over.

" ** _Dean, I'd recognize you anywhere; awake, asleep, alive, half-dead...I'd recognize you. I wouldn't perceive you as a threat. ...Back then, I barely knew Nariel, Sefir, Mefusa...any of them. They would've been threats to me, and Nariel's right; I would've tried to protect myself against them. ...We're lucky I didn't do something worse, not that I know what that would've been_** ," Sam spoke up quietly, glancing over his shoulder at his brother.

Cas had been translating for the humans in the room, and Max suddenly spoke up. "Just how much power do you have now, Sam? This seems like...insane. I mean--don't get me wrong man, but you were a powerful healer to start off with. Now? Now you're like...more. And I gotta say...it's uh...it's scary."

Sam blinked, looking over at Max. He felt a stirring of indignation from Gabriel, but he cut it off with his agreement. "It is," he admitted. He looked at Gabriel's outraged face and chuckled. "Don't you remember telling me, when you explained about me being a **_Guardian_** , that there was an old story about one leveling a city in their grief? I think the exact words you used were, 'in a near instant.' ...If I have that kind of power..." he started, shutting his eyes for a second as his wings curled inward, trembling. He opened them a bare few seconds later, staring at his **_mate_**. "Gabe, if I ever lost you..." he spoke, in a near-whisper.

Understanding flooded Gabriel and he moved, shuffling and pressing bodily into Sam's side. Sam leaned into him, nuzzling the side of his head. Everyone fell quiet for several long moments. Then, someone, he didn't pay attention to who, got up and started gathering plates from those done with their meals. A long few moments after that, Sam felt a hand ruffle his hair and knew it was Dean offering reassurance and comfort both, before he walked off as well. It left Gabriel and Sam alone to just sit there and send love and soothing back and forth as much as they could muster for the moment.

Adam interrupted them about an hour later, where they still sat on the floor nestled against one another. "Hey, Sam? Dean wanted me to ask you about working on my...powers or whatever," he said.

Sam blinked, looking up at his younger brother. "Oh, yeah, uh...wait, what's Dean doing?" he asked, starting to move to get up.

"Said he's got his 'own shit to work out'?" Adam said with a shrug.

"Oh. Duh, I spaced. He uh...hasn't had a chance to work out the changes to his abilities since he started bonding with Cas, much less whatever changed in completing it," he spoke, muttering slightly and trying to ignore his spike of jealousy. It helped to know that he wasn't the only one feeling that way when he felt it echo from Gabriel.

He looked down to where his **_mate_ **was climbing to his feet as well, offering a hand to help and receiving a smile and a wave of fondness and gratitude for it. "I'm going to go pilfer the chocolate stores while you two stretch them invisible muscles," he chirped, wings fluttering just the tiniest bit at the prospect of sweets.

Sam chuckled and pressed a kiss to Gabriel's cheek. "Try not to go crazy," he fussed softly, then let go of his hand and gestured toward the sliding glass doors off the kitchen and laundry area to Adam.

They headed in the same direction, Gabriel splitting from Sam's side as they reached the pantry doors, and Sam followed Adam outside.

His brother paused for a second, then headed off in the direction of the great tree that had been formed in the wake of Dean and Cas' full bonding. He stopped at it's base, after making the way over the larger roots that were just shy of sticking up out of the ground, then stared up into the branches where some birds were already working to build nests, despite the time of year.

"This thing is...amazing," he spoke quietly.

Sam looked up into it and smiled warmly. "It is. And...I think it suits them, Cas and Dean. It's strong, its roots run deep, its branches wide and sturdy. It's beautiful, too. And...it's the physical evidence of what there is between them. Simple though that may seem, it's not at all."

Adam turned to look at him, then, and his eyes moved over something leading back toward the compound. "...Do you think it'll be a tree, for you and Gabe, too?" he asked after a moment.

Sam blinked and frowned slightly in thought before giving a small shrug. "I have no idea, honestly. It's likely; I don't know what sort of other representation it could take. But we won't know for...at least another eight or nine months. We've decided not to risk our children like that. And we may wait a while after they're born before we decide to complete what we have," he offered quietly.

Adam, still staring in the direction of the compound, frowned a bit. "...It was kind of selfish of them, wasn't it? That they decided to do that even with Cas pregnant?" he said, looking at Sam then.

Sam gave a small smile and shook his head. "There were some...extenuating circumstances, some things that came to light about...about Dean's past, my past...that I believe had Cas pushing to complete the bond. Dean wasn't really all that certain about doing it, but...well, honestly, for him, it wasn't Cas being unreasonable, and that meant him giving in. Especially when they had me there to make sure nothing would happen with their son."

"...What happened to Gabriel? I saw you pull...light out of them, and that...that hurt my eyes, but then Gabriel was on the ground, and I couldn't tell what was wrong, I couldn't _see_ anything wrong."

Sam frowned, looking up into the tree again. "...The bond allows things to be shared. Emotions, thoughts, imaginings, memories...pain, too. Physical pain, especially if it's overwhelming. ...Taking the power that built from Dean and Cas...it was more than anything I'd felt previously, and I've felt quite a bit. It felt like my insides were burning, Adam. It was so bad, I almost wasn't able to manipulate it so it could be made into something safe...into this," he spoke with a faint nod up into the tree. "...And it passed into Gabriel, some of that pain. It...it hurt him, and...and our child that he's carrying. It hurt them both, but our...it was screaming in pure agony, I could feel it, and I..." he started, swallowing thickly. He tried his best to keep from spilling the misery he'd felt, still felt, into the connection with his **_mate_**. He huffed out a soft sigh, letting it out into the air above him. "There wasn't anything to heal, nothing I could do but let them recover from it."

He looked down to see Adam staring at his belly, and he smiled faintly, tilting his head. "You see them, don't you?"

Adam's eyes came up, he nodded, then looked back down. "Were...I mean, they're there still, but...what about them?"

"I was expecting pain, so I managed to keep it off them...but they were still discomforted. But that was all, just a discomfort, thankfully," he said. "So how much do you see?"

"...Oh, yeah, you and Charlie left before we all talked about that. I uh...see a lot, really. I see the lights in you...the three clusters just below your stomach, and the one in Gabriel, and the one is Castiel. I can...I can tell that Cas' is a boy, but I don't know how I know that. I mean, isn't that weird, though? Yesterday morning, you said that his sex, his body, is going to be female, but his...soul, grace, whatever, is reading as male. So...does that mean I'm seeing...whatever it is that makes up his consciousness?"

Amused, Sam chuckled and gave a short nod. "Exactly. The only reason I was even aware about his sex being female is because Nariel ran scans on Cas after he and Dean started their bond, when it was still partially formed."

Adam let out a small hum of thought, then shook his head. "I also see that. The bonds, I mean," he proffered. Sam blinked in surprise and tilted his head in interest, prompting Adam to go on. "Cas and Dean, before they completed theirs...it looked like the one you have with Gabe. Like light shining through water or glass. It shifts here and there, pulses a bit, and...when you shut it off when you left yesterday, I could tell it was absent. There was a...not even like a dark spot, like a...maybe like a black hole? Something that was trying to draw it back, almost. It...it was uncomfortable to look at, if I'm honest."

Sam frowned in thought at that, then shrugged. "I guess that's kinda what it feels like. Once it's there in the first place, it feels amazing. But when it closes off, when you're too far away, or just...closing it off on your own, it almost physically hurts, aches a bit," he admitted.

Adam nodded in thought. "Anyway, for Dean and Cas now...theirs is more like sunlight beaming down, now. It's uh...unhindered, nothing to block it off. Like...like you see in paintings or something, where a shaft of light just comes straight down to land on something? Only, it's between them, it lands on both of them, and it doesn't...it doesn't waver, but it does pulse a bit," he explained.

Sam was quiet, in thought. "So...do you see, like...just anything in anyone? I mean, you see the children Gabriel, Cas, and myself are carrying. But can you see us, or the other angels?"

"No. That's...that's weird, isn't it?"

"No, not at all. Uh...for me? Feeling a child, a new life, is much easier than feeling someone who's older, who's grown up, who has around ten to fifteen years on them, at least. It's like...like they start to wrap themselves up in their body more at some point, hide themselves in it. Sometimes it takes a healing of large proportions for me to feel a person's consciousness," he answered.

Adam seemed to relax at that, nodding a bit. "...Dean, he called this a...a passive ability. Said I'd need to learn to shut it off, just in case. Can you...help me figure that out?" he asked, glancing up at Sam.

Sam grimaced, but nodded. "Passive abilities are pretty difficult to shut off, honestly. I'll uh...I'll be better able to help you figure it out if...if you don't mind me feeling around for a bit," he said, raising a hand and giving a short wiggle of his fingers to indicate just what he meant. "Even for Dean, that's uncomfortable. The only person who's ever been comfortable with the direct touch of my energy is Gabriel. So...is this okay with you?" he asked.

Adam stared at his hand uncertainly as Sam pulled his energy up into it. He chewed on his lower lip, glanced at Sam's face, then blinked at something he thought before giving a short nod. Sam gave a faint smile and nodded. "Close your eyes, and try not to move away," he instructed. When Adam did as told, Sam put his hand directly over Adam's eyes, starting to press in and feel it out.

It took but seconds to feel Adam's energy. It was flowing pretty steadily and evenly around his brother's eyes, and Sam gently traced it down to his core, doing his best to keep the touch of his energy light. All the same, Adam twitched every few seconds...but he didn't pull away.

When he connected to Adam's core, he found the place where it was pulsing up from and, as tenderly as he could, he poked it. Adam jumped under his hand, a strained noise coming out of his throat. "It's alright, just...that's where it's coming from Adam. Can you feel it?" Sam asked quietly.

Adam swallowed, mouth working for a second. "Yeah. Yeah, I...that's me? My-my soul?"

"Yeah, that's you, man. All you. But that area I poked...I want you to see if you can manipulate it, pull it back," he said, starting to withdraw. He would let Adam figure it out on his own.

Adam's eyes opened as Sam's hand dropped away, and he furrowed his brow in concentration. And then he started blinking, eyes darting about, and he frowned. "I don't like this," he muttered.

"Okay. Then just tug at it again, in the exact same way," he instructed softly.

He could see when it was working again, a guarded edge to Adam's expression and a line of tension in his shoulders easing. His brother puffed out a small breath of air. "Okay. Okay, that's better," he mused quietly.

Sam chuckled softly. "Most people that have passive abilities leave them active, and only shut them off if in threat of being overwhelmed by them," he advised. "...It's not the case for everyone, though. My visions...they're passive. They come as they please. ...And they hurt. Worse than a migraine, especially since forming the partial bond with Gabriel," he confessed.

"...When I saw you, when we...were in that vision...it didn't hurt me," he spoke, confused.

Sam shrugged. "It may never. If having visions is one of your abilities, it may never hurt you. And that's a good thing."

Adam frowned. "If? But--"

"You connected with me in that vision, Adam. It may have been a different kind of ability entirely. How you did it, what it was...there's no telling until if and when it happens again. Some abilities are just like that, unfortunately. ...In all honesty...it may have just been a byproduct of accessing your energy for the first time. That happens, on rare occasion. When...when mine activated, I did something that...until Max brought Alicia the other day, I haven't been able to do since. I brought someone back from the dead. They were gone, Adam. There was nothing of them left in their body, and I brought them back. On my own. When I brought back Alicia...it took me, Gabriel, Dean, and Cas, pooling our energies to do it," he said.

Adam nodded, thinking it over. After a few moments, he nodded again. "So, if and when it happens again, we'll know more," he concluded.

Sam gave a faint smile and nodded. "Exactly. And until then, you should sit and just...just pull at your energy, your soul, now that you know how to feel it out. Twist it, tug it...don't try and force it into something, just see what it offers when you do. That's how you discover your abilities," he told him.

Adam nodded, sitting down and scooting until his back was against the tree. Sam backed up a few paces, taking a seat as well to keep an eye out for anything he might need to help his little brother with, or help him through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this chappie took so long to get out today...my muse had me spending the morning working on a super-secret side project.
> 
> I'm hoping ya'll will enjoy that one, when it's done.
> 
> YAY IT'S THE WEEKEND
> 
> Late nights and lotsa writing (I hope...we'll see...I usually wind up sleeping half of Saturday away u.u)


	64. Chapter 64

So...

As it turned out...

Sam was right.

...Of _course_ he was.

But Gabriel wasn't ready to admit that and suffer under his smug 'I told you so.' So...he was keeping his misery out of their bond.

He sat, at present, slumped halfway over a lone sofa in the reading corner, groaning softly to himself as he tried not to vomit. He didn't want to find out if chocolate tasted worse coming back up (and he suspected it did), and ruin the sweet for himself forevermore.

That was where Cassie found him, some time later. "Brother?" he spoke, a hint of alarm in his tone as he approached. "Are you--"

"Cassie...Cassie, there is a such a thing as too much chocolate," he spoke in a broken, whimpering tone.

His brother drew up short at his side and Gabriel turned enough to look up at him. Cassie was caught between humored and concerned. "Should I...I-I will go get Sam," he said.

"No! He warned me, Cassie...an' I didn't listen. I don't want him to rub it in," he whined pitifully.

Cassie's eyes darted toward the kitchen, then looked back down. "I'm sorry, brother," he spoke. "Dean's already getting him," he explained.

And indeed, Sam's concern was flooding him seconds later. So, Gabriel stopped withholding his misery and slumped the rest of the way over on the sofa with a whine. "My tummy hurts so bad, Cassie," he murmured poutily.

Sam was at his side before his brother could respond, hands reaching out to him. "Gabe...dammit, there's nothing I can really do to help," he spoke, frowning worriedly as his energy flooded Gabriel regardless. Not meeting it with his grace was as much an exercise in restraint as ever, but he managed it.

"I shoulda listened," he pouted in return, huffing a sigh.

"Yeah. But you didn't. And now...I'm sorry. I'm sorry you have to deal with the stomach cramps. I'm...I'm trying to at least ease the muscles, but--"

"You being here, just that...it's enough, Sammy," Gabriel murmured, smiling a bit.

Sam smiled a bit, but he was worried about Gabriel and what he was going through. Worried about something more, too, but Gabriel was too sick, and tired because of that, to question what it was. Sam watched him for a moment, then nodded to himself, looking over at Cassie, and apparently, Dean-o as well. "Can you guys take care of lunch for everyone? I'm going to take him to lay down until this passes," he said.

"Yeah, we got this. Go on," Dean responded.

As Sam moved to scoop him up, Cassie spoke a quiet, "Be well, brother."

"Thanks, Cassie," Gabriel managed to murmur as Sam carried him away. In his **_mate's_** arms, feeling warm and secure, even if he was also sick to his stomach, he fell asleep before they reached the second floor landing.

When Gabriel came to, Sam was holding him close to his chest, and was speaking softly to someone else in the room.

"--resisted, but I managed to draw him out of it enough for him to recognize me. Max, I don't know if you'd do the same, I don't know if I'd be able to help you through it. But more than that? This isn't something we can undo. I mean, maybe the bonding, Dean and I haven't wanted to try, but you'd be switching species. That, we definitely can't undo. So...are you sure?"

He knew Sam was aware he was awake at this point, but Gabriel didn't bother moving, just listened.

"...It's soon, isn't it? Too soon?"

"That's not what I'm saying. When you know, you know. But...that's just it, do you know?" Sam countered gently.

There was quiet for several long moments, but it wasn't uncomfortable, not with the way Gabriel was bundled into Sam's emotions as he was, not with the way they were gently lapping at him like waves cresting a shore.

"When we first arrived here, Alicia and me, with Charlie...I was fascinated, yeah. They're all...unique, different from anything we've ever encountered. And while Dean got us up to speed on some stuff, while you were cooking in the kitchen...I...kinda took notice of them, of Heturi and of Mefusa. And...I felt weird, and kinda like a creep, for being attracted to them. ...To both of them, and that was just...weird to me, my attention doesn't usually divide like that, ya know? ...And then Alicia opened her mouth, and I didn't give it another thought," Max spoke. He went quiet again, but by Sam's patience in their bond, Gabriel could tell Max was looking for words. "...She...when we came back...I-I knew, before we were even halfway here, that...that she wasn't going to make it. And by the time I was landing, she was already getting cold, and I knew she was--" he took an audible, shuddering breath. "Before I even opened that door, I had lost hope. Fuck, man, I thought I was going to break. My sister, the one that's been with me from birth, through anything and everything, she was gone. ...I didn't resist when Heturi pulled her from my arms. I just followed after, desperate for anything left of her. ...And you, the four of you, you all...pulled it off," he spoke, giving a shaky laugh. "What you did is not lost on me, Sam. I can't even imagine exactly how you managed it, but...you guys did. ...And through all of that, Heturi and Mefusa stood at my back. Like they were ready to help me through whatever came next, whatever fallout there was, even though we hadn't so much as said a word to each other."

"...Do their graces react to you?" Sam spoke quietly.

"Mefusa's does. Heturi...I don't know. He shies away, and I can't...I don't understand enough of their language to get why. I'm trying to learn, I'm trying so hard, and I know they're doing the same with English, but...can the three of us even...like, bond or whatever, in the same way you and Gabriel have, that Dean and Castiel have?"

"If it works similar to how **_mating_ **bonds do back home, yeah," Gabriel piped up sleepily from against Sam's chest, nuzzling into it.

There was a silence for a moment, then Max spoke a, "Shit, I was hoping we wouldn't wake you. Sorry, man."

"It's about time I get up anyway. Starting to get hungry. Time is it?" the golden angel spoke, starting to push himself up.

"Getting close to dinner time," Sam responded with a soft kiss to his cheek, beginning to push himself up as well.

"...Can we have tacos?" Gabriel spoke, feeling a surge of a craving.

Sam chuckled and nodded as he slid from the bed. "Yeah," he answered, then looked up at Max. "You need to find out what's going on with Heturi, Max...and if his grace reacts to you. Then we'll figure out about if you really want to go ahead with this, and if so, when and how. Alright?" he spoke.

Gabriel turned in time to see Max nodding.

With little more in the way of words, they headed out of the room.

Sam had had to fend off both himself and Cassie while he'd been cooking tacos. More than once, food almost wound up on the floor. The other angels, all watching in lieu of a cooking lesson, had laughed more than once.

It was halfway through dinner, all of them chatting and excited about the prospect of another movie that evening, when it happened. A squawk of noise from the far end of the dining area. It was loud enough to cut through conversation.

By the time it came again, Mefusa was already out of his seat, heading for-- _heading for the communication equipment_.

Sam was seconds behind him, and the rest of the table abandoned their meal to follow as well.

"-- ** _Lurbardr, broadcasting to any survivors, please respond_** ," Gabriel made out as he approached.

Armaya was surging past him in the next instant, stopping where Mefusa had seated himself by the equipment. " ** _Lurbardr_**?" she spoke quickly, looking at him desperately for confirmation that she'd heard correctly.

Mefusa nodded, and promptly, Armaya snatched away the transmitter from his hand. " ** _Balthazar? Samandriel?_** " she spoke.

Silence met her for a long moment, and then, " ** _Armie? Armaya, is that you?_** "

Armaya lit up, teary-eyed as she let out a short laugh. " ** _Y-Yeah. Father and Mother...I...I'm handing you back over_** ," she spoke, flushing brightly as she noticed all eyes on her. She pulled away, swiping at her eyes and trying to compose herself.

Gabriel watched as Adam moved over, putting a hand on her shoulder and offering her a warm smile. "I'm happy for you," he murmured quietly, before dropping his hand. He didn't stray far, offering himself as support should she need it.

Sam was glancing over, but then his attention was moving over to Dean. "Get Charlie on the line, let her know when need a safe location?" he requested out of his brother.

Dean nodded, moving to the phone on the wall, apparently without his com for once.

" ** _Lurbardr, what is your condition?_** " Mefusa spoke.

" ** _We're out of provisions, surviving on medical supplements," came back with a faint hint of desperation to it. "There's eighteen of us, in all. We're--we're not doing well_** ," the voice replied.

"Shit," Sam cursed lowly. He turned to the humans in their little group. "Kitchen. Start cutting up fruits, cooking anything you can think to make...what's left on the stove is far from enough," he ordered.

Alicia and Max nodded, heading off immediately. Adam paused for just a second, flashing Armaya a friendly smile, and then following along.

Armaya watched after him for just a moment, then looked back at Sam. "I'd like to go with you, to bring them back...please?"

"Of course, Armaya," he replied with a brief smile, looking over to where Dean was approaching.

" ** _Ground?_** " came from the receiver.

"Charlie's got a location set up, a beach in North Carolina," Dean spoke, looking over at Cassie.

Cassie blinked, then nodded, moving toward the computer of the transmitter.

" ** _Sending a safe landing location now_** ," Mefusa spoke through the microphone.

Dean moved over, giving Sam the specific location information. Sam frowned in thought, then nodded. He looked over at Gabriel and moved to him, kissing him softly. "I'll be back as soon as possible," he spoke quietly.

"Just be safe."

"Of course," Sam promised, kissing his forehead, then moving back and looking at Armaya. She nodded eagerly, reaching out and taking Sam's hand. With that, they vanished from sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slumps* Muh head hurts *WHINE*
> 
> I'm sorry it's short...Imma rest for a bit and see if I can write more....


	65. Chapter 65

Sam and Armaya stood on a rocky outcropping toward the mainland, watching the ship descend from the sky.

Beside him, the lilac winged angel was near to vibrating out of her skin. Sam took a moment to look over at her. ...She was barely containing herself. " ** _So...they your nest, then?_** " he asked softly.

Armaya's eyes darted to him, then back up to the ship. " ** _They will be. We haven't bonded, we thought it'd be best to wait until we...until we had a new home. But...this, Earth...it is that. It will be that. And...I've missed them, Sam. So much_** ," she admitted quietly.

No wonder she hadn't really so much as glanced at Adam. She really did have no interest in him; she'd been waiting for the people she did love, hoping they'd make it.

Sam looked at the ship, glad for his talk with Adam, that he'd agreed to be friends with Armaya if that was all she was willing to give. Glad that his brother wasn't like so many pig-headed humans that would try and persuade her to be more, despite what she felt.

The sand dusted back as the ship neared, trying to escape its weight. Thankfully, the descent was gentle enough to keep it from kicking up into the air in any real way. And finally, the vessel touched down.

Armaya was shifting from foot to foot now, waiting.

She didn't wait long. The ship opened, and a bronze winged **_Sentinel_ **and tawny winged **_Nester_ **were the first out, slipping from the opening passage and flying toward her before it was even fully open.

She grinned broadly, launching into the air, and crashing into them. The three landed in a heap on the sand, laughing, kissing, touching...Sam smiled fondly, then looked to the rest.

They were all bordering on gaunt. They needed food, and desperately so. ...Especially the last two, one of which was a heavily pregnant **_Sentinel_**.

Without much thought, Sam teleported over by them, startling all the angels that had been watching him. Wings were flaring wide in surprise, and some bore suspicion as well. Sam paused, then took a moment to speak up. " ** _I am not what I seem_** ," he admitted. " ** _There is much to tell. But know that I mean none of you any harm_** ," he announced. He then moved, slowly, closer to the two Sentinels that had exited the craft last. " ** _With your permission, I'd like to examine you with my uh...my energy. What I have that is equivalent to grace_** ," he explained gently. The pregnant **_Sentinel_** , a woman, looked back at her partner that held her around the waist, male, in question. He was frowning, eyeing Sam closely.

".. ** _.If you harm them-_** -"

" ** _I would never, I assure you. I'm carrying three of my own, and my mate is a Sentinel bearing a child as well. I only want to assess their well being_** ," he assured gently.

The male **_Sentinel_** looked down at the woman. And she, in turn, looked back to Sam and gave a small nod. Sam stepped forward and reached his hands up, pulling forth his energy. They both startled, but didn't move away as he moved his hands close.

There were two in there. And they were weak. Sam frowned in concern and felt things around. There were a few things he could fix, and with barely a thought, he did. But ultimately, this angel and the two she carried...they needed nutrition. He lowered his hands and offered her a smile. " ** _They're well, but they need food. You all do_** ," he spoke, starting to turn. " ** _I need you all to gather in and link hands or arms_** ," he called out.

The two that were clasping tight to Armaya were staring at him in something like wonder, and he knew that Armaya had told them. They knew he was a **_Guardian_** , at the very least.

Most of them were looking at the bronze winged Sentinel after Sam's order, and he took a moment before he realized it and gave a nod. With that, they all gathered into a circle, mostly clasping hands. Sam reached up as the circle closed, placing his hands on Armaya's shoulders. " ** _Hold on, this is going to feel weird_** ," he warned the lot of them.

And they teleported.

The new group of angels immediately began to turn as they arrived in the compound, all of them startled, wings raising in surprise and defense.

Sefir stepped forward and drew their attention. " ** _Please, be at ease. I am the captain of the ship Bilum. Near everyone in this room is my crew. Again, please be at ease. We are safe here, and there is food_** \--" he began, but he cut himself off as Adam and Max came out of the kitchen bearing a platter of fruit in each hand and handing them over to the angels.

" ** _These are fruits. They should be safe, unless you're allergic. If you start having difficulty breathing, alert me at once_** ," Sam spoke, taking over. " ** _Please, eat. We've yet to find anything that is not agreeable with your--our--digestive systems, save for one incident that was easily taken care of. ...Guys, none of us here will allow you to come to harm_** ," he said.

"... ** _Wingless_**?" the bronze winged angel said, eyeing Adam over.

" ** _Humans are wingless, yes_** ," Armaya corrected, glancing at him, then slapping his chest. " ** _Mind your manners, Balthazar_** ," she fussed.

He shot her a grin. " ** _Never_** ," he countered, and Armaya rolled her eyes.

And then Sam noticed that several angels, more toward the dining area than the living area, were starting to take aggressive stances. He could guess at what that was about, and in an instant, he was at his **_mate's_** side, fixing them all with a cool stare. " ** _Touch my mate, and we're going to have a problem_** ," he announced.

" ** _Your mate,_** " a lemon winged **_Nester_ **spat, " ** _is a traitor_**!"

Sam settled his gaze on her and raised a hand in front of himself. " ** _Touch my mate_** ," he repeated, summoning his sword forth, " ** _and we're going to have a problem_** ," he finished, voice dropping from cool to icy.

The angels stilled, staring in shock. He felt smug satisfaction out of Gabriel where he moved and pressed into Sam's side.

' _You're enjoying this too much_.'

' _Nah, just enough_.'

Sam rolled his eyes, gazing down at him fondly. Gabriel grinned right back up at him.

" ** _Mikiye, do you really think it's wise to challenge those giving us shelter and food...let alone that at least one of them is a Guardian?_** " Balthazar spoke from where he was being passed a platter.

The lemon winged angel scowled like she'd bitten into something bitter, whirling around on him. " ** _Bad enough we're here after abandoning our orders just so you could seek out the council princess, now you're bowing to this lot, one of which is a known traitor?! ...You're no captain of mine_** ," she snarled.

Sam vanished his sword and stepped forth, placing a hand on her shoulder. Hm...putting a lid in place was easy, now that he asked his soul for it. Hopefully it kept her from doing anything too harmful. She whipped around with a snarl. " ** _Don't TOUCH me!_** " she snapped, right hand flexing. She blinked, then looked at it. She frowned and tried to...oh, she was trying to pull forth her blade. Hm, this lid thing was handy, indeed. " ** _What did you do to me?_** " she whispered in horror, looking up at him.

Sam gave a short smile. " ** _I bound your grace. And until you learn how to not act like a spoiled little fledgling, it's going to stay like that, Mikiye. No grace, no blade_** ," he announced. The new angels were all staring with wide eyes, and more than one looked cowed. He didn't quite want that reaction, but he wasn't risking anyone with Mikiye being so volatile. " ** _Now_** ," he spoke to the rest of them. " ** _There will be some cooked food ready soon that you all can eat. The fruit will have to do until then. Try not to overeat, I don't want anyone getting sick. After that, we'll see about getting you all settled into rooms_**."

Max and Adam had returned to the kitchen almost immediately after handing off the fruit. Dean and Cas were in there, too, along with Alicia, cooking. Mefusa and Heturi, along with a good many others, were hanging on the opposite side of the island counter, watching and staying out of the way.

Armaya led her soon-to-be-nest to a dining room table near to the one they usually all sat at, and the crew of the Lurbardr followed after, save Mikiye who seemed to want to starve rather than give in to the kindnesses being offered to her.

Sam watched her for a long moment, then sighed. " _Look_ ," he spoke, drawing her ire on him. " ** _I know this isn't pleasant. Not any of it. You've lost your home, you're on a strange planet, with strange foods, and people you don't trust...but you're also hungry, and I'm sure you're tired, too. For tonight, just for tonight, let it all go, okay? Eat your fill, find a bed and get some rest...and then see how it all looks in the morning. Alright?_** " he spoke softly.

She eyed him with complete distrust, but as she looked him over, his open expression, his relaxed body language, his neutrally positioned wings...she frowned a bit to herself and gave a short nod. " ** _I admit, some of my anger is related to hunger_** ," she groused bitterly.

Sam breathed a small chuckle. " ** _Even humans get angry when they're hungry. They call it 'hangry_** ,'" he told her, turning to lead the way to the table her crew was sharing.

Alicia had found a giant instapot (Sam hadn't even been aware they had it), and by the time Dean served up a giant order of his burgers, she was pulling a few roasts out of it, with all the fixin's. The new group of angels ate their fill happily, and Gabriel went about the table dropping off a piece of his chocolate from the stores they'd emptied out at the mall for each of them, even Mikiye. She eyed it warily, but when she ate it, she actually offered him a word of thanks. Gabriel had just shot her a smile and a, " ** _No one should be denied the wonders of chocolate_**."

Finally, though, they were all full, and the angels moved to lead the new group to rooms. Sam watched them go, halting the pregnant Sentinel before she reached the first floor hallway and looking her over again. With an assurance that her little ones were already doing better, already starting to absorb the nutrition she'd taken in, he watched the couple be lead away by Nariel to find a room.

Gabriel came up to his side, taking his hand and looking up in question. Sam smiled down at him, nodding down the hallway. "Twins," he supplied. "Little girls, the both of 'em. If I had to guess, I'd say she's maybe seven months along?"

"Mm. And I take it they're doing well, then?"

"...There were a few things I had to fix. I'm not sure how serious it would've been if I didn't, but...I felt a few things off, when they landed, so.... Anyway, they should be fine," he answered, turning to Gabriel and reaching out to check on the one he was carrying. He blinked a few times.

"Sam?" Gabriel spoke, concern flowing from him in response to Sam's surprise.

"I...he's settled on his gender, Gabe. That's...earlier than I've ever felt, but...he's settled on it. ...You're carrying our little boy," he said softly, smiling warmly at him.

Gabriel blinked, then lit up happily, both physically and through their connection, moving and wrapping his arms around Sam. Sam laughed, hugging him back, pulling him close.

Happy and content, they made their way to their room for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also kinda short...sorry. *pokes muse* I think...I think I may have to take it easy on her for a while. She's kinda flopped on the ground right now. I mean, when I try to write, she gives me stuff, but uh...she's like...tired or something.
> 
> I think Imma give her tomorrow off to re-energize a bit. Yeah. I need to do school work anyway, so...yeah, we're taking tomorrow off.
> 
> I'm sorry ya'll.
> 
> Enjoy for now, and if you want fic recs, I've got some I can give; just comment!


	66. Chapter 66

Morning brought a whole new set of problems.

Sam had headed down ahead of Gabriel, letting him sleep in, to get started on breakfast for the thirty-two occupants of the compound (four of which were pregnant and would likely eat more than the others). As he pulled out the ingredients for sausage gravy and biscuits, he eyed the contents of the industrial sized fridge. ...They'd need to do a grocery run within the next two days.

With their ever-growing entourage...that would be a task. Likely, he and Dean would have to sneak away from the other angels to do the shopping, to ensure they wound up with only what they needed, and not a ridiculous amount of clutter.

He was cooking the sausage when Mefusa padded into the kitchen. " ** _Sam, I was hoping to speak with you_** ," he spoke, voice pitched low and near to a whisper.

Sam blinked and looked up, then around. Armaya was over in the reading corner, sufficiently distracted by her would-be **_mates_**. He looked back at Mefusa. " ** _What is it? Everything alright?_** " he asked gently.

Mefusa licked his lips, gaze darting around nervously for a moment. He backed up a step, his hand twisting up, and...he was holding a spiked mace, hiding it between them, veridan flames licking around the bulbous end.

Sam swallowed, then nodded slowly. " ** _Ah. Yeah. Uhm_**."

" ** _When you allowed me access to my grace yesterday, when I went to pull it forward_** ," Mefusa began, vanishing the weapon. "... ** _I was able to access it without restriction. Last night, when...after everyone was asleep, I...I discovered that_** ," he spoke quietly.

Sam nodded slowly, looking back at the sausage and poking at it. He was trying not to freak out, he really was.

_Just how much power do you have now, Sam?_ Max's words echoed in his mind. _Now you're like...more. And I gotta say...it's uh...it's scary._

" ** _I won't ask you to keep that from Heturi or Max, Mefusa, but uh...I'd prefer not letting on the others about it just yet_** ," he spoke quietly.

"... ** _What about Sefir and Nariel?_** " he questioned quietly.

Sam shook his head. " ** _I didn't do this with them. I almost didn't do it with you, but...it felt wrong not to, so I did. I didn't even know what I was doing, so...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did that to you, that I...that I risked you, but it just...it felt wrong not to_** ," Sam spoke quietly, feeling his wings draw in a bit.

Mefusa was quiet for a long moment. " ** _I understand that you did this on an instinct. All the same, I feel like you've entrusted me with something of great importance, and I wish to assure you, I will not abuse it, nor any faith you place in me_** ," he spoke.

Sam looked up, but Mefusa had already turned and was walking away.

...And Sam found he did trust in Mefusa. He was one of the quieter angels, but something about him said that his words were true, and that he would not abuse the power that Sam had awoken in him.

It made something within him ease. Not completely, of course. He was still worried about how much power he himself had, if he was able to do that. But at least so far, it didn't seem to be bad.

"I need to get back to school tomorrow," Adam spoke as they sat down for breakfast.

Dean looked up in surprise, but Sam nodded. "Yeah, I figured. Winter Break's about at an end, isn't it?" he spoke.

Adam nodded, frowning a bit. "Yeah. And as cool as hanging around here is...well, you guys are just a phone call away and all, right?" he spoke, taking a bite.

Sam smiled and nodded. "Of course we are. You're family, Adam. You're welcome anytime," he supplied.

That snapped Dean out of it and he clapped Adam on the shoulder. "Yeah, and besides, we still need to work on figuring out your abilities. Sammy told me you couldn't scrounge up much yesterday," he said.

Adam frowned and nodded. "Yeah. But...what if this sight thing is it? What if that's all there is to me? I mean, is that uncommon? Just having like...one ability?"

"Not at all," Max piped up from just a bit down the table. "All I've got, other than flight, is geokinesis. Ability to manipulate the Earth. My strength lays in growing things," he said.

"And all I can do is heal...and fly. ...Guys, have you tried to see if he can fly?" Alicia spoke, looking at Dean, then Sam.

Dean looked to Sam as well, since it had been on him to help Adam with his powers the previous day. Sam, in turn, grimaced. "I uh...didn't get a chance to get to it," he said, looking at Adam. "We can try after breakfast, if you'd like?" he offered.

Adam nodded slowly, then gave a shrug. "Why not? Could come in handy, if I run into an emergency," he said.

But of course, things didn't go that way. They managed to make it through the meal uninterrupted, thankfully, but then they felt it; Dean, Sam, Alicia, Max, and even Adam.

Max sucked in a breath, Alicia started cussing, Dean's wings bristled, and Sam let out a soft swear.

"What is that?" Adam spoke, gazing confusedly toward the front door.

"Villain," Sam answered, rising from his seat. They were close, too. Far too close for comfort.

There were murmurs rippling through the angels as Sam and Dean made for the door first, Dean ahead of Sam, with Max and Alicia steps behind. Adam was behind them, and the whole of the compound was following after. Sam didn't even try to get them to stay inside; it'd be a futile effort. And it was just one villain, if his senses were correct. Hopefully they'd be able to protect them all just fine.

They flooded outside, starting to spread into a line in front of the compound, to see a red headed woman standing near the edge of the treeline, eyeing them all with interest.

A red headed woman with no mask, wearing tight figure-hugging black leather pants, and a scarlet long sleeved v-neck shirt with a black leather vest over it..

Sam frowned in concern, and a small suspicious dread wormed its way into him. This could potentially be very bad. Or mildly good. It depended on if he was correct in guessing who this was...and furthermore, on her intent here.

Dean had already manifested his sai, but Sam held back on calling forth his sword just yet. He could feel Gabriel's concern, but he carefully kept his eyes on the woman.

"You'd best--" Dean started, but Sam put a hand out to him, making him cut off. His brother's feathers fluffed in irritation, but he let Sam take the lead.

"Scottish Witch?" Sam ventured cautiously.

Beside him, he could see Dean's wings twitch in recognition. Behind him, Alicia let out a soft, strained noise.

"Aye. Quite the clever lad, aren't ye?" she spoke, smiling magnanimously, her eyes looking him over. At that, Gabriel sent forth a surge of both protectiveness and possessiveness, but Sam's immediate wave of soothing had him keeping still.

Sam allowed his lips to twitch into a half smile and gave a lazy shrug. "It's been said," he spoke idly, moving his hands and shoving them into his pockets. "What brings you? Other than curiosity, of course," he spoke.

She smiled like it was all one large joke. "Oh, but that's exactly what brings me, Samuel!" she chirped. "An _alien_ species?" she continued, with a tittering laugh. "How could I ever resist such a great unknown?"

Sam tried to relax, tried not to feel dread...but it wasn't easy. The way she spoke...he felt like she'd just as soon dissect one of them as ask questions instead. "Mm. So you're going to...what exactly? Try and steal someone away?" he spoke, tone carefully light as he forced his wings to stay in a neutral position.

And Scottish Witch blinked as though that thought hadn't occurred to her before she was frowning poutily. "Lands, no! I know I don't have the best reputation, mind ye, but I'm hardly a monster, I'd think!" she huffed haughtily.

Dean opened his mouth, but Sam shot him a sharp glance and his older brother scowled back as he clicked his jaw shut. Sam turned his gaze back to the sometimes-villainess, giving her a weak smile. "It's because of that reputation, you understand, that I don't exactly trust in your words. I hate to tell you, but you're known for being self-serving, and doing whatever you like to get what you want. I need a reason not to turn you away."

The Witch raised her eyebrows in surprise. "To be honest with ye, I expected to be turned away on principle alone," she confessed, tilting her head and looking him over again, but with a more assessing eye this time. After a long moment, her eyes sparkled with mischief. "How about a gift?" she said, practically wiggling as she spoke. "Just a small one, a simple little casting of my power--"

"Hell no!" Dean barked, gripping tighter to his sai, wings raising aggressively. "You so much as--"

"Dean," Sam spoke tersely, feeling his own wings starting to raise in irritation, feathers fluffing. He shot a look at his brother and lowered his voice so it wouldn't carry over to the Witch. "I know far more of her than you do; she's offering a gift, and spurning that will bring her ire down on us. We don't want that. She's as powerful as she is old, and I don't know if I have enough in me to protect us," he hissed.

"It's not like you're doing it alone, Sammy--"

"She's _powerful_ , Dean," he reiterated as calmly as he could. "Just...let me take point, alright?" Dean scowled, but gave a short nod. Sam nodded in return, then looked back where the Witch was watching with mild bemusement written across her face. Sam considered for a moment, but deciding that Dean had done enough damage to the shaky start of all this as it was, he gave a short nod. He didn't ask what she was offering, for fear that would make her angry. He simply accepted.

She beamed broadly, her hands coming up...and a wave of energy surged from them, from her fingertips. Gabriel's hand shot out and latched onto Sam's arm as it neared, and Sam moved, pulling his hand free of his pocket to slide their hands together. He was worried, they both were, but Sam sent forth a pulse of reassurance to Gabriel all the same.

The wave of power swept over the whole of the compound and vanished.

"Now then, may I approach?" the Witch spoke with a grin.

Dean was still tense at his side, and Gabriel was overflowing with unease. They had no clue what she'd just done. Not until....

"Sam, was it?" a voice spoke. Reluctant to look away, but trusting that there were other eyes on the Witch (including his overprotective brother's), Sam moved, turning to the side and looking back into the crowd of angels. It was Balthazar that met his gaze, looking humored, if a little surprised. As did most of the angels. "I'd venture to say that...we all understood that," he said, his eyes sweeping to the line of angels around him.

Sam blinked. More than that, Balthazar, who'd only shown last night, was speaking fluent English...even if he did have an odd accent with it. Sam frowned, looking around to see some other angels meeting his gaze and nodding in confirmation. He turned back to the Scottish Witch, who was very much grinning in a Cheshire manner.

"The gift of gab," she spoke with a flirty smile.

Giving a half hearted smile, Sam took a half step back. "I'd offer you breakfast, but we've already eaten," he spoke in welcome. Dean pitched a low growl, but his sai vanished all the same.

The Witch began walking forward with a soft laugh. "American fare is hardly my thing, but the thought does count. Thank you, Samuel," she said as she neared.

"Just Sam is fine," he offered.

"Mm. Then please, call me Rowena," she offered, eyes practically glittering as she looked over everyone.

No one moved as she stopped mere feet in front of them. Sam warred with his instincts for a second, then moved and turned his back in a show of trust. "Alright, everyone, back inside. We've still got clean up to do. Any volunteers there?" he asked.

The pregnant female Sentinel and her mate, were the first to head in, nearest to the door and the back of the line of them.

Mefusa, near the middle of them all, glanced at Heturi, then over to Max for a second. Finally, he looked at Sam. "Heturi and I will clean up the kitchen," he offered.

Max, distracted, looked over at them, then shot a quick glance at Alicia, and finally, Sam. ' _I sure hope you know what you're doing_ ,' that look said. And then he was following after Heturi and Mefusa, likely off to help them.

Dean, unwilling to tear his eyes away from the petite red-head that he couldn't see as anything but a threat, practically backed through the doorway. Once inside, he shot a look at Cas with a frown on his face. Cas shot a scowl right back, wings fluffing in agitation. Sam could guess, as he followed Gabriel through the door, Rowena on his tail, that Dean was trying to order Cas into staying clear of the Witch. Even Sam knew that that wasn't going to work, and he didn't have a psychic connection with the galaxy-winged angel.

He jerked to a halt, startling, when he felt a hand in his feathers.

Gabriel froze and turned slowly, his blade appearing in his free hand, wings raising high in aggression. "If you want to keep that limb, I suggest you get your hand out of my mate's feathers," he snarled.

Behind him, Rowena let out a giggle. "My, are they sensitive?" she asked. She tugged at a feather and Sam grit his teeth.

"Rowena," he spoke in a carefully even voice. "I understand you're curious, but that's a boundary that you shouldn't be crossing," he said, fighting the urge to pull away and hoping she'd take the hint.

"Hmm," she let out, finally withdrawing her hand. Sam turned then, enough so that he could see the genuine curiosity in her eyes as she looked over the wings of a number of the angels. "I _do_ have _so many_ questions," she spoke lightly.

Sam gave a half-smile to the Witch, squeezing Gabriel's hand and trying to soothe him; Gabe had yet to banish his blade.

"Well...ask, alright? Instead of blindly groping?" he said gently.

"Oh, dear, is that what I was doing? Is that a--"

"Not for everyone, but mine are newer, not as used to contact. So I'm...a little sensitive," Sam admitted with a grimace.

Rowena pursed her lips. "...I apologize," she spoke airily, glancing away. "Well! Shall we sit and talk, then?" she said, brushing it off like it hadn't mattered. Sam suspected by her apology, however, that she wasn't happy with herself over her actions.

And so, Sam gave her a nod and led the way to the presently unoccupied reading corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ADVANCED WARNING  
> Thursday and Friday, there will be no chapters. As it will be the first couple of days of the month, work is going to be swamped (as is usual for us), and I won't have time to write anything. I might be able to Friday evening, but definitely not Thursday, as I'll be working late and exhausted when I get home; it's likely to be the same for Friday as well.  
> There's also a chance that I won't be writing anything next Monday, either. It depends on how many files come in over the weekend, but I want you all prepared.
> 
> With any luck, I will be able to get some chapters out over the weekend, but I'm not sure. I'm going to be pretty tired, which is usual for me on the weekends. I'll try, though.
> 
> ...<3


	67. Chapter 67

Dean was barely putting up with this, and it showed. If Sam hadn't known his brother would pitch a bitch-fit of epic proportions, he would've asked him to step away. But he would, so Sam didn't.

Fortunately for them all, Rowena didn't seem the least bit upset about it. She almost seemed amused, in fact.

"So," she began. "I know the basics, what was in your interview. But I have no doubt that those little facts were barely scraping the surface. So please...embellish for me," Rowena spoke with a saucy, flirty wink.

Gabriel was staring at her sourly, and Sam was trying not to be amused at his mate's possessiveness. He did _not_ like anyone flirting with Sam, no matter how little they stood a chance.

Sam thought for a moment, then nodded to himself. "Alright. Alright, so...the process I described in the interview, the one that...changed my species, changed Dean's species? It's uh...well, it's like angel-marriage, to borrow Dean's words. A bit more on the permanent side, though not completely unbreakable, from my understanding. But between us, between an angel and a former human, it's more than it is for just two angels. There's a...a psychic connection that comes with it. And we're able to share things through it," he provided.

Dean was bristling, unhappy about revealing this information, but he kept his mouth shut.

Gabriel wasn't all that pleased, either, but...but Sam felt Gabriel's trust. Gabriel trusted that Sam knew what he was doing, and that if it somehow went sideways on them, that Sam would find a way to take care of it.

"How very interesting," Rowena spoke, leaning forward in her seat, looking eager.

And that, oddly, had Sam relaxing. But honestly, that was because in that moment, Rowena had reminded Sam strongly of Jivi, when Dean had revealed his sai. He gave her a faint smile, settling a bit more in his seat beside his mate.

"Would you be a dear and tell me more?" the Witch continued with another saucy smile.

Sam gave her a smile of his own, glancing up as Armaya, Balthazar, and Samandriel came over, lingering close to the sofa, all three apparently curious. He returned his attention to their guest. "Emotion is the easiest thing to pass through it," he began, and went on to detail everything he knew about the connection between them, even so far as to detail what Adam had revealed of it, and how he and Gabriel were not fully bonded, but Dean and Cas were.

That had her frowning in curiosity, glancing between them. "And just why is it that you haven't completed your bond?" she asked.

Sam shifted uncomfortably, watching Rowena as her eyes tracked over the multiple sets of wings raising; Gabriel's, Dean's, Castiel's...and Armaya's, too. He grimaced a bit. "It's not safe to do right now," he answered softly. "There's lives other than our own depending on Gabriel and myself."

Her eyes danced back to him at his statement, and after a few scant seconds, they lit up in realization. "Ah, truly? Ye are carrying a wee little one?" she said with a grin.

"Three, actually," Sam supplied, but kept quiet on Gabriel's own. He may feel more at ease with Rowena now, but his mate didn't, and considering how high-risk his pregnancy was, Sam was not about to give him any extra stress.

He noticed, from the corner of his eyes, that Samandriel's wings were hesitantly raising, and Balthazar's were ruffling in agitation.

"Och, how lovely! Wee bairns or lasses!" she cooed, eyes glancing down to his stomach. He felt his wings give a twitch of protectiveness, but he didn't let them posture. Rowena might be considered a villainess by most, but she wasn't really; she gave off that aura, sure, but she was just someone who looked out for their own interests, in truth. Her eyes came back up to his. "Do ye know what they are, yet?" she asked curiously.

Sam moved a hand, pulling his energy up in curiosity; Gabriel's had already settled on a gender...but these three, none of them had yet. Slowly, he shook his head. "They haven't discerned that yet. And...I can only determine gender, not sex. Though...from my understanding, for angels, that almost always goes hand in hand," he said.

"Almost always?" she lilted in question. Sam just gave a benign smile in response, and she pouted slightly at not being given more information down that route. After another moment, she sat back in her seat, pursing her lips. "I wonder, would there be any willing to let me see what their grace feels like, exactly?" she spoke in inquiry.

Sam frowned slightly, ignoring the way Dean continued to bristle at the Scottish Witch. "That's...not so easy," he began quietly, leaning forward, his elbows resting near his knees. "If their grace doesn't react to you, they'd have to pull it forward, and...that's not comfortable for angels, not something as easily done for heroes or villains," he explained. "And if the angel's grace were to react to you...there's a risk of you being bonded," he said with a small shrug.

Rowena hummed, her eyes moving to Sam's wings, then over to Dean's. "...I'm not quite so certain I'd like to be anything other than human," she admitted. "But I am quite curious to feel the difference myself. Is there not a way to reject the grace, should it react to me?"

Sam gave a shrug. "I don't know," he conceded. "Myself, Dean...we didn't even try."

Rowena hummed, frowning in thought. After several long moments, she nodded slightly. "If there is one that would be so kind, I would much like to feel the difference between soul and grace. I will take the risk, so long as they are willing the same," she spoke.

"Like hell!" Dean finally snapped. "Bad enough that--"

"Dean," Sam sighed, trying to fight back a headache. He looked over at his older brother. "Must you antagonize someone that could potentially cause a great deal of harm before either of us could so much as summon forth our weapons?" he spoke plainly.

Dean's jaw was ticking. Sam glanced at Cas...and Cas was looking pretty upset about all this as well.

Gabriel was being supportive, but...he didn't like any of this. Looking at Alicia revealed she was of the same opinion. Adam was curious, by the looks of him, but Sam had to guess it was because he was new to the whole hero game. Armaya, Balthazar, and Samandriel, the only other ones nearby, looked reserved, but also still on the aggressive in the wake of the recent topic of Sam's pregnancy.

Sam suddenly felt exhausted under it all. And at that, Gabriel's gaze cut over to him, worry spilling into their bond. Sam gave him a reassuring smile, squeezing his hand gently, then looked back at Rowena.

"I apologize," he said quietly, frowning slightly when his tiredness leaked into his voice. "But I'm going to have to ask you return tomorrow, please? Give us all time to discuss this, to see if we can reach an agreement, and maybe find someone willing to risk things on their end as well," he said.

Rowena blinked, then gave a soft smile and nodded. "I understand. I did come asking quite a lot of all of ye. ...Ye know, when I had my wee Fergus, I found chamomile and cinnamon to be quite effective in helping me relax and easing my stresses," she spoke as she stood. "I do so recommend it," she said warmly. Her eyes roamed to Dean, briefly, then came back to Sam. "I will return tomorrow, in the early afternoon. That should give you all plenty of time," she spoke.

Sam gave a small smile. "Thank you, Rowena," he said, watching as Dean stood.

His older brother seemed to have lost his aggression somehow; perhaps just because he was happy she was going. "I'll walk you out," he said gruffly.

Sam watched them walk past him toward the door, but he suddenly found his eyes closing seconds later. "...Sam?" Gabriel's voice came, worry pulsing heavily into their bond.

"Jus..." he murmured, frowning a bit. Was this normal, this sudden wave of tired? He knew pregnant women could get tired, but wasn't that something that happened further along? He was, what, barely a week now? He forced his eyes open, pulling his energy up and resting his hand on his stomach. ...Nothing felt off.

' _I'm real tired, Gabe. Babies are fine, but...maybe it's me, I don't know_ ,' he admitted, eyes sliding shut again.

"I'm getting Nariel," he heard his mate say aloud, feeling the hand in his pull away.

He was out before Dean even got back from the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Sooooo, I know there's a lot more of you reading than there are commenting, and I did make a couple of my regular commenters aware of it, but I wanted to take a moment to apologize to the rest of you for the lack of chapter yesterday.
> 
> I have some health issues, and one of them cropped up in a bad way, making me nearly constantly dizzy; I could focus enough to get my work done, but writing was not happening.
> 
> I'm not out of the woods with that issue just yet, but I am working on it, and I'm better able to focus today, I feel. So...NEW CHAPTER (even though it's small...sorry ><). 
> 
> Also, I have no clue what my muse is doing to Sam now. ...Poor Sam.
> 
> ...And now, radio silence for at least two days. Sorry ><


	68. Chapter 68

Within the space of fifteen minutes, the entirety of the compound was crowded around the sofa of the reading area, all of them vying for a look at Gabriel's unconscious mate. Gabriel was trying not to snap at them while he shifted from foot to foot nervously behind Nariel.

The whole lot of them were stretched thin with silence as the grace-healer scanned Sam with various equipment, the only sound being the fluffing, ruffling of wings from various angels.

It was another ten minutes before Nariel sighed and stood up straight, turning a worried frown to Gabriel. "I can find no cause for his current state, nor his sudden exhaustion. Even in extending my grace toward him, I find nothing that my equipment may have missed. He simply is asleep," he said.

Gabriel frowned. "He's only been awake for, I don't know, maybe three hours?? There's got--"

"Brother, be at ease," Cassie interrupted softly. "Sam has been through much in the past few months. We all have. Perhaps it is simply everything catching up," he spoke calmly.

Gabriel let out a worried growl from the back of his throat, wings fluffing in distress. "...That does make sense, Cassie, I'm not saying it doesn't. But that it just came on so sudden like that? Can you blame me for being worried?" he argued.

"He has all of us," Dean spoke up, sitting on the arm of the sofa chair that Cassie had parked himself in. "And Sam's damn strong, too. He'll be alright," the Guardian spoke, even though he looked to be more trying to convince himself of that than anyone else. Cassie looked up at him and reached out, taking his mate's hand.

Gabriel looked back down at Sam. ...At least he looked peaceful, didn't seem to be ill at ease with this sudden exhaustion that had swept him under. He sighed and stepped forward, brushing Sam's bangs back, watching him for a long moment before nodding a bit. "Alright, I'm taking him up to our room where he can get some real rest," he said, moving to pick him up.

In an instant, Dean was next to him and swatting his hands away. "Dude, no. I get that you're strong enough and all, not saying you aren't, but you don't need to put any extra stress on your body. Sam's worrying all the time about you as it is. If he found out I let you carry his heavy ass up there, he'd never let me live it down," the other Guardian spoke, scooping Sam up into his arms.

For half a second, Gabriel almost protested. ...But Dean was right, on both fronts. Any extra stress on his body was unhealthy, and Sam would have both their hides if he found out. So Gabriel stepped back, quietly speaking a, "Thank you." He watched Dean walk off and stared after, tempted to go and lay down beside his mate...but he would know when Sam woke anyway. He looked around at the angels, all of whom were staring off after the Guardians. He took in a deep breath and decided to help Sam out in leading a conversation in his absence. "The woman that was here," he began, watching as nearly all of them turned their attention to Gabriel. "She's going to be back tomorrow. And we need to talk about that," he began.

"Yes, that's an excellent idea, I think. How exactly is it that the win--the humans," Balthazar began, cutting himself off when Armaya jabbed him with an elbow. "How is it they knew she was here?" he finished.

Before Gabriel could answer, Adam was speaking up. "You know, I get the feeling wingless is supposed to be an insult, but it's really not. I mean, those things like kinda bulky? I imagine they get in the way," he said. As the angels slowly took to staring at him in open afront, he smirked a bit. "Plus, uh...they kinda give away your emotional state even when your expression doesn't. Yeah, so...wingless is not an insult," he concluded.

Alicia, nearest to him, rolled her eyes. "To answer your question," she spoke, turning to the bronze winged Sentinel. "We felt her. Some humans that are classified as villains give off a presence that can be felt by humans that are classified as heroes. And as we are in the classification of heroes, we were able to sense her presence," she supplied.

"Mm. What exactly makes a hero versus a villain...and all of that versus a normal wingless?" Balthazar spoke up. Beside him, Armaya's eye twitched and she huffed an exasperated sigh, shooting a look at Adam; a ' _Do you see what you've done?_ ' look. Adam merely looked amused by it all and said nothing, instead turning in his seat and seeming to seek the answer to Balthazar's question as well.

Alicia frowned at the question, and Max, hidden amongst the angels, made his way forward and plopped down on the sofa Sam had been spread out on unceremoniously. "That is difficult to explain, because it's something that humans don't fully comprehend themselves," he began with a huff. "Ya'll have grace, but we humans, we got souls. To hear Sam and Dean explain it...hell, to experience it," Max began, glancing toward Mefusa, "...they're just different from one another. But, they're compatible. That's why Sam and Dean aren't human anymore. Why they're angels now. But that's another story, and about half of you already know it. So...souls," Max said, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling. "Some humans are able to access their souls, like you guys do with your grace. But for us, it doesn't hurt, and we can manifest the power in certain ways...and only in those ways, we can't manipulate it in the same way you guys do. Just...very specific ways. Being able to access our souls like that gives us the ability to be more than just our base human selves; we can be hero or villain that way. And from there, that's where it gets even more confusing. Heroes, as far as anyone is aware, never give off a vibe, or projection of self. But villains? Some, most...do. It's just a feeling that heroes can pick up on. And uh...it's different for every hero. For me, it's like tasting motor oil," Max spoke, scrunching his nose.

"But for me," Alicia piped up, "it's like the smell of blood."

"Hunh," Adam piped up thoughtfully. "It was almost like feeling my ears pop, but without pain, for me."

There was silence for a moment, then it was Samandriel that spoke up. "She said she wanted to feel grace," he prompted, leading the discussion forward and looking to the rest of the gathered angels. "And despite the warnings of what could happen, she decided she wanted to risk a potential bond with one of us, to see what grace felt like, to feel the difference between that and a human's soul. Sam asked her for time for us all to consider...for someone to potentially volunteer. That's why she's coming back."

The room went silent again after that. It was silent for several long moments.

Finally, it was the Sentinel carrying twins that spoke up. "I think a lot of us need more information about the risks of this. A bond...are you speaking of a mating bond? And how is it that the Guardian is no longer human?" she asked.

"Guardians," Dean spoke from behind the crowd of them. "Sammy and I both are Guardians," he said, manifesting his sai once again. The weapons weren't that large, and it was likely a lot of them hadn't noticed when he'd pulled them forward earlier that morning. Once he held the flaming blades up for all to see, he vanished them. "And yeah...it's apparently a mating bond," he continued, walking back toward the reading area, where Cassie still sat. As he passed Gabriel, he looked over at him. Gabriel knew enough of Dean-o to read that look. ' _This is your show_ ,' he was saying.

So Gabriel turned back to the angels and began explaining what barely half of them already knew. He explained how grace could react to a human's soul energy. He told them exactly what had happened with Sam and himself, and how it had changed his mate to become an angel. He told them how Cassie and Dean had wound up doing the same thing, however accidentally, and Sam had been able to facilitate Dean's changes so his brother hadn't had to suffer through the process. He even went further and revealed that Sam had helped Dean and Cassie to complete their bond, because it had only been partially formed, as it still was between Gabriel and himself.

"Wait," a voice spoke. A few angels moved, revealing Mikiye staring at Gabriel in confusion and a little suspicion. "Why did he have to help them complete their bond, if grace and soul can interact like that? And why haven't you completed yours?" she asked.

Gabriel frowned tightly, wings fluffing in agitation even as his little brother spoke up.

"I am with child," Cassie spoke quietly. "And we were uncertain as to how safe the process would be on the fledgling. As it is, I was already carrying during the initial formation of the bond, and Sam had said that it hadn't hurt the baby much, but it had pained and stressed him. So Sam, a powerful healer to begin with, helped ensure the safety of our child during all of this."

"But he can't do that for us," Gabriel picked up. "Because Sam is carrying three fledglings. ...And I've got one, too," Gabriel revealed quietly, not meeting anyone's eyes.

Again, the room fell silent for a long moment.

"I'll do it."

Everyone looked up, some having to turn...and all eyes landed on Mefusa. The stormy winged Sentinel gave a small shrug. "I can manage to bring forth my grace...and I doubt it'll react to her in that capacity," he supplied, eyes darting toward Max, then over to Heturi. Heturi looked like he might protest, but it was Max that actually did.

"Mefusa, no. What if you're wrong?" he spoke, standing up and looking at him worriedly.

"I'm not. And as it was with you, I'd have to follow the instinct to press my grace forward. I wouldn't do that," he spoke, tone gentle. "...I am perhaps one of the safest ones to allow to do this, as well, as it will...it will not cause me any discomfort."

That had many-a-wing ruffling in agitation and confusion.

"What do you mean? ...Mefusa?" Sefir spoke up, tilting his head.

Mefusa frowned, looking at his captain. "I'm sorry, I was asked not to reveal more," he said quietly.

Gabriel stared on for a long moment. There was only one person that any of them answered to above Sefir. "Sam asked you not to?" he asked.

Mefusa looked over at Gabriel with a guilty expression.

At that, Dean slid off the arm of the chair he was seated on. "Dude, no. Sammy knows better than to keep secrets. What's going on?" he spoke, tone authoritative.

Mefusa's eyes went to him and his wings shifted uncomfortably. Beside him, Heturi moved closer, leaning into his side. Seeing it, Max moved over closer to them, but he looked hesitant, like he wasn't sure it would be allowed or accepted. When Mefusa looked at him, though, the pause in his steps vanished and he moved to Mefusa's other side, like he was helping to brace him against the world. Mefusa looked at the floor with a faint smile on his face, then looked up at Dean, and then Gabriel. "Please understand that I only discovered this in the night, and that there has been no time since I revealed it to Sam this morning for any of us to discuss it further. I do not believe that he meant to keep it as a secret, only that he wished to consider the implications and how to reveal it before we came forward about it."

"That's not ominous at all," Dean muttered.

Mefusa's lips twitched with humor before his eyes fell to the hand he brought up.

A strange weapon appeared in his hand then, on flames and making a few angels back up further. It had a long handle and a round end with large spikes on it. Jivi was practically dancing closer in curiosity, wings twitching wildly.

"How in the hell...?" Dean breathed.

Still holding his weapon, Mefusa looked up at him. "Sam did it. When he unbound my grace yesterday, I felt a difference when I attempted to pull it forward and confirm that it was indeed reachable. ...And I felt no discomfort. After everyone was at peace last night, I pulled it forth once more, and still experienced no discomfort. Curious of the implications, I called forth my blade...but this appeared instead. I revealed it to Sam this morning, and he--" Mefusa paused, a smile twitching at his lips. "He apologized to me. He said he hadn't known what it was he was doing, only that it felt wrong to not do it...and so he did," he explained.

Again, silence, as they all considered the implications of that. ...Sam could, at will, make Guardians out of angels. Mefusa was proof of that.

"This doesn't leave this room," Gabriel spoke up suddenly. More than one set of wings raised in protest, but Gabriel ignored them, looking over at Dean and Cassie. They met his gaze with clear agreement. Gabriel looked back to the others. "This doesn't leave this room, this building. None of you speak of it," he forbade. "And more importantly, none of you _ask_ for it," he pressed.

"Hey--" a cobalt winged Sentinel began, but Gabriel cut him off immediately.

"No. I mean it. For all any of us know, that's exactly why he's unconscious up there. He's barely a week pregnant, and I'm not risking his health, not for any of you and your petty wants. Sam's strong as hell, and he's good, and kind, and--"

"No one will ask it of him, Gabriel," Armaya suddenly spoke. Her tone was both full of reassuring, and icy cold somehow. Her gaze was not on him, but moving over the gathered angels. "No one will ask for it...and no one will speak of it," she continued, voice moving into one of open threat.

And that worked. There was no more protest, not vocally. Even the few sets of wings that had been raised were now lowering into a neutral position.

"Isn't it just hot how she goes all council-y on us?" Balthazar spoke with a leer in her direction. She huffed a smile and swatted his chest with the back of her hand.

And that was that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE!
> 
> I survived the first of the month at work better than I usually do.
> 
> And guys...I'm sorry this chapter is kinda on the short side? I will try to post a couple of chapters tomorrow to help make up for it...but this is it for today. I had to pop six tylenol because...well, I don't know if I just haven't had enough caffeine today or what exactly, but I've got a migraine trying to crop up. UHG. But my muse, once I started working on this chapter in earnest, gave me plenty to work with, so it's not on her, it's all on me and my stupid head/body. Uhg.
> 
> I need a new body.
> 
> Anyone know of a good one for sale? ...And someone that can do a soul/consciousness transference for me?


	69. Chapter 69

Gabriel felt useless, ultimately, as the hours passed.

Lunch had come and gone with a second cooking lesson for all of them, but most of it was a review of the first, for the new angels. The angels of the Bilum had also piped up with their personal mental notes they'd made from the first lesson. In all, though, it was mostly disastrous, as there wasn't enough room for everyone to see what was going on, exactly. But still, Dean had tried, and had for the most part, been patient about it.

A couple of hours after that, Gabriel felt Sam beginning to stir, and though he was still worried, he felt an immense amount of relief as well.

' _Gabe?_ ' came a few moments later, with the echoes of sleep attached to it.

' _Hey Samshine. Everyone's good down here, just worried about you. ...You're feeling okay, right?_ '

'... _Samshine?_ ' came back in question, though there was a warm, pleased feeling attached to it that Sam couldn't hide. There was also something like a mental equivalent of clearing a throat before, ' _Yeah, I'm good. How long was I out? I'm kinda hungry_....'

' _About five hours or so. Dean tried making chicken salad for lunch, but it wasn't quite as good as yours. There's some left if you want me to bring you a sandwich?_ '

' _Nah, I'm heading down, I'll make it. Can't believe I pretty much passed out on you guys_ ,' Sam thought back, disgruntled and upset emotions flowing with the statement. '... _You okay? Everybody else...?_ ' he asked.

' _We're all just worried, that's all. Nariel ran some scans on you, but he couldn't find anything off_.'

The elevator dinged and Sam stepped off. Gabriel got up and moved over next to him, taking his hand and walking for the kitchen with him.

"I don't feel anything off, either. I'm not sure what caused that," Sam admitted out loud.

Gabriel hesitated, then slowly pulled up the image of Mefusa's strange flaming weapon. Sam stumbled a step, frowning as he prodded at the image, and Gabriel let the full memory forth.

Huffing out a quiet breath of, "Damn," Sam looked down at his mate. "No, I don't think that's what caused it. I can't dismiss it as the cause entirely, but...I don't believe that's the cause," he stated.

Gabriel could feel Sam's near-certainty of the statement and nodded with a concerned frown. "Think it's going to happen again?" he asked as they entered the kitchen. Sam released his hand and headed for the fridge.

"I wish I could say no, but...I get the feeling that wasn't a one-off. I'm sorry to say it, but we're going to have to keep an eye on me until we figure this out," Sam spoke quietly.

"Well, that's not concerning at all," came from the other side of the kitchen. Gabriel and Sam both looked up to see Max, Mefusa, and Heturi approaching from the patio door. "Think it might be something about Scottish Witch that did it?" Max piped up as they neared, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Sam frowned, considering. "If it is, I don't think she did it on purpose, but...somehow, I don't think it was her at all. Just...just an odd sense I'm getting, something I can't really pinpoint," he answered, pulling out a container from the fridge and heading for the pantry.

"Dude, she's a vil--"

"She's not, though, not entirely. She's just...self-serving, really," Sam spoke, coming out of the pantry with an open loaf of bread. He paused, seeing Max's disbelieving stare. "Look, Panama? Three years ago? She was there, Max. She was there, helping in the aftermath of that hurricane. I saw her. And I started digging more. Media overlooks her entirely, man, and I think that's how she likes it. Sometimes she gets something out of it, from what I can tell, but for the most part, she just...does what she wants, I don't know the rhyme or reason of it," he said, back at the counter and fixing his sandwich now.

Max frowned, standing at the edge of the island counter. "I...I don't trust her."

"I'm not saying to trust her, and it's probably best we don't. She could still turn on us, if it suits her whims. But I am saying that...I don't think she did this to me. In fact, I'm pretty certain of it," Sam said, taking a bite of a sandwich no sooner than it was assembled and setting it to the side as he took to fixing himself another one. His eyes moved on to Mefusa. "Are you sure you want to be the one to meet her request?" he asked, a worried frown fitting onto his face.

Mefusa straightened just the slightest bit and gave a nod. "I am. I am aware now of how it feels for my grace to react to someone," he spoke with a brief glance in Max's direction, before looking back at Sam. "And I know how to withhold it from acting on those instincts, should it actually react to her. Furthermore, I will not experience discomfort as another would in doing this."

Sam nodded slowly, then glanced at Heturi. Before he could say anything, though, Max was shifting forward just the slightest bit, drawing Sam's attention back to him. Gabriel tilted his head as he watched a silent exchange there. How was it that they did that? Was it just years of familiarity? ...That had to be it, he supposed.

Sam ultimately sighed and finished up making his second sandwich, putting away the bread, then the rest of the leftover chicken salad. "I think I'm going to make a few batches of lasagna tonight," he announced.

Gabriel beamed, and Max was smiling, too. Mefusa and Heturi glanced at each other. "Lasagna? Like what Nariel had at that place at the mall?" Heturi spoke, looking over.

"Yeah, but Sam's is real good, better than you can get at a restaurant," Max said.

"I had it during one of my first weeks here," Gabriel said happily. "It's been one of my favorite things," he tacked on.

Sam glanced at him, a bit of surprise passing through their connection...and a good bit of a pleased feeling, too.

"Well, that settles that, then," he murmured, moving over and picking up his plates of sandwiches, heading toward an empty spot in the living area.

A good many of the angels decided to watch Sam cook that evening, occasionally asking questions about different ingredients. Where he could spare it, he offered up a taste of each one.

Glips' nose was wrinkled at the taste of the ricotta. "Sam, I'm not so sure about this..." she said, glancing up at him.

"I know, it tastes bland like that, but with seasonings and being baked...it comes out good," he replied with a faint smile and a small shrug.

Glips still looked dubious--a good few of them did--but they waited, trusting in Sam's word.

And so it was, roughly two hours later, more than one person was singing Sam's praises as they scarfed down the delicious, saucy, cheesy dish. Sam was pulsing with warmth and contentedness as everyone enjoyed the meal.

Most of the Lurbardr were seated at their own table, but it was largely due to lack of space than anything else. The other pregnant Sentinel, the female named Loma, and her mate Hurzef, wound up taking seats at the table where most of the Bilum sat, joining in on conversation of what the angels that had been there longer had learned of the planet. Now that everyone was speaking English, conversation was a lot smoother, it seemed. Max, Alicia, and Adam were able to interject and add tidbits of information here and there.

In all, it was pleasant. More than pleasant, really, and feeling Sam relax and flowing with contentment had Gabriel doing the same.

Against all odds, they had made it. This was home. ...This was family.

Gabriel leaned into Sam's sigh with an exaggerated huff. "Man, I'm so full, I think I might pop!" he lamented with a grin.

Sam chuckled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Oh, so more chocolate for me, right?" he teased.

Gabriel turned wide eyes upon his mate. "You...you'd deny me chocolate?" he spoke in a mock-horrified tone.

Sam grinned and shrugged. "You don't want to get sick again, do you?" he shot back.

The golden angel pouted. "But chocolate...."

Sam shook his head. "I reserve the right to say 'I told you so,' this time," he responded with a smirk.

"Deal!" Gabriel chirped, jumping from his seat and heading for the pantry. Chuckles from more than one person followed after him.

Sam made a mistake. As he began clean up, he allowed Dean to put a movie on for all of them again.

Dean had selected another Disney movie: The Princess and the Frog.

It was enjoyable, it really was, even if a lot of it had cultural references that were difficult to understand.

They were deep into the movie, some time later (and just what were Sam and Dean doing anyway? They had been in the kitchen an awful long time....) when it happened. The shadow man had swatted Ray away and then there was a sickening crunch.

All of them were staring in horror, and as the scene went to Tiana, more than one voice was raised in dismay, wanting to know what had happened to the star-smitten firefly.

Sam was striding over in short order, holding a notebook and pen in one hand, his gaze going to the screen. He looked confused for a moment, before understanding dawned over his features. "Dammit. DEAN!" he yelled, whirling and nearly crashing into his brother, as Dean-o was making to get to Cassie.

"I didn't--it's a kid's movie, Sam!" Dean practically whined, trying to get around Sam's posturing wings to get to his own mate.

"So is Zootopia, but that one doesn't have any death in it!" Sam barked, before relenting and moving to Gabriel, sitting down beside him and pulling him into his lap. "I'm sorry," he murmured, nuzzling him gently. "It does have a happy ending, but..."

"Ray's dead?" Gabriel asked quietly.

Sam grimaced. "Yeah, but...it's kinda happy anyway? Just watch," he told him.

And barely a few minutes later, Ray was a star in the sky, right next to Evangeline. Hardly any of the angels had dry eyes at that, and a few were outright blubbering about the scene.

Gabriel nuzzled a bit into Sam's chest. It was bittersweet, but also kinda beautiful. And it made Gabriel curious about other movies...movies not targeted to children.

The movie ended not too much later, and the angels started clamoring for another. Dean grabbed the remote and highlighted a movie called Big Hero 6.

"Dean, no!" Sam barked immediately. When Dean looked at him confusedly, Sam shook his head. "Tadashi," he spoke.

Dean grimaced. "Right, right. Uh...Zootopia it is, then," he said, scrolling through the movies to select the given one.

Sam, feeling secure in the movie choice, moved and kissed the side of Gabriel's head. "I'm going to go put together some snacks for everyone," he spoke softly.

Gabriel nodded, moving off his lap and glancing at the notebook he left behind. ...A grocery list, it would seem. He was curious about that, but he let it go for now as the movie began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kinda weak, and I'm sorry for that. My muse and I are working through a few things. But it looks like chapters are slowing down for us, and I truly apologize for that. I'm going to do my best to get out at least one a day, moving forward.
> 
> I love you guys, please continue to bear with me >< <3


	70. Chapter 70

When Sam came to, Cas was holding Gabriel back, Dean was hovering over him, and he could see a few angels nearby as well, Nariel edging closer than the rest.

"What's going on?" he asked, frowning as a lance of pain went through his head.

"You collapsed. You hit your head, don't move," Dean spoke, looking up as Nariel knelt down with a device extended toward Sam.

Sam relaxed back against the floor, but pulled forth his energy, bringing his hand over his stomach. The babies were okay, and he sent a pulse of soothing through the connection with Gabriel, trying to ease the immense amount of worry and fear coming from his mate. He tilted his head to get a better look at the golden angel and offered him a small, warm smile to try and reassure him.

The smell of burnt sugar started to fill the kitchen and Sam frowned. "Shit, the toffee--Dean, turn it off," Sam said, turning his head to look at his brother, who was already moving.

"Got it," he said, moving the pot off the heat.

Sam frowned up at the stove, then looked over at Nariel as he pulled the device away.

"You've got a minor concussion, nothing serious. You'll probably have a knot on your head, too," he supplied.

Sam nodded, moving slowly as he made to get up. No sooner was he vertical, than Gabe managed to shrug Cas off and was in his arms. Sam held him close, nuzzling him reassuringly. "I'm alright, just a bit of a headache. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he spoke, looking around at his family and friends. "...Any of you," he added.

"Sam, it might be wise for you to be on bed rest," Nariel spoke up suddenly.

Sam frowned and shook his head. "No. No way, I'm not going to be an invalid. I can--"

"Can you, though?" Dean piped up. "Can you get around just fine? Because Sam, you just passed out in the middle of the kitchen trying to make toffee popcorn for the rest of us. And we wouldn't have known if not for Gabe feeling you go under! The movie was too loud for us to hear you collapse, man. And like you've said, you've got more than just you depending on your well being. Until we figure out what's going on...sorry, but you're bed-bound."

Sam scowled. He didn't like it, not one bit. He could feel Gabriel's agreement, but it didn't mean that he liked it. And he understood the logic of it all...but still, he did not like this. "Yeah, fine," he muttered.

"Bed rest doesn't really mean strictly staying in bed. That's not entirely healthy. But it does mean minimal movement. You can still come down and interact with us, but I wouldn't recommend anything like standing for long periods of time," Nariel spoke.

Sam nodded with a sigh. "Alright. Well, for now...Dean, why don't you restart their movie, then see if you can make them a snack? I'll go sit and watch with them," he said.

Dean nodded, and the whole of them moved back to the living area.

The next morning, Adam was looking back and forth between his two brothers.

"It's just teleporting, it doesn't take much out of me!"

"But it takes something, and that might be too much, you could wind up passing out the second you land, Sam! And then I'd have to fly a state and a half to come get you!"

"So what are you going to do, carry Adam that whole way?"

"If I have to!"

"Dammit, Dean--"

"No."

Sam stared, eyes narrowing. Slowly, they slid to Adam. Adam gripped tight to his duffel. Dean lunged forward, but Sam was gone from the space he'd been in, reappearing behind Adam. He grabbed Adam's shoulder, and then they were gone in the next instant, landing on the University of Kentucky campus.

Adam whirled to look at Sam, eyeing him over. "You're okay, right?"

Sam nodded slowly as he assessed himself, but frowned a bit. "I better get back. Dean's going to have a fit, and I...I think I might actually need to rest," he muttered uncomfortably.

Adam nodded. "Take care, man. I'll give a call every now and then," he said.

Sam smiled and gave a short nod. "I'll hold you to that. Take care of yourself, too," he said.

With that, he reappeared in the compound, watching Dean as he paced and cussed loudly for a solid minute before he noticed Sam was back. Dean stormed up to him, and Sam half expected a punch with the way his brother was posturing, but he found a finger in his face instead. "The next time you do that, I'm--I'm going to do something!" he huffed.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Something. Yeah, okay, Dean. But before that, remember that I'm my own person and you can't restrict me from doing things. Now, excuse me...I need to sit down," he admitted, trying not to sway.

He apparently was unsuccessful, because Dean was suddenly under his arm, bracing him. "Whoa, yeah, okay. Easy there, killer, let's get you to a sofa," he said.

Exhaustion was starting to sweep him, and he spotted Gabriel approaching from where he'd been cleaning in the kitchen, worried frown in place. Sam tried to give a smile, but the exhaustion was suddenly heavy against his consciousness. "Dean, gon--" he slurred, but his eyes were closing already. He heard Dean curse, but he wasn't aware enough to hear exactly what was said.

When Sam came to, he was staring up at the ceiling of their room. He could feel Gabriel next to him and turned to see his mate watching him with no small amount of concern in his gaze. But in their connection was flat out fear.

"This is getting worse," Gabriel whispered quietly.

"...I know. I'm sorry. I wish I had an answer, but...I just don't, and I'm not sure who would," Sam spoke back just as quietly.

Gabriel nodded slowly. "It's new ground...uncharted territory. It's up to us to figure it out, isn't it?" he spoke.

Sam gave a weak smile and nodded. "It is. We'll be okay, Gabe. Somehow, we'll be okay," he promised softly.

They cuddled up in one another for another hour or so before finally getting up. It was getting into early afternoon, and they both needed to eat something. Plus, Rowena would be showing back up soon.

The Scottish Witch was powerful, and Sam suspected she might be able to formulate an answer for what was going on with him. If he trusted her enough to allow her to seek out that answer. ...If he could persuade her to help. If, if, if.

...But he had Gabriel to think about, and their children. So, somehow, he'd convince her. Somehow, he'd make sure they were all okay. He'd promised it to his mate, after all, and he'd never been one to make promises lightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's another short one. I'm sorry....I'M SORRY.
> 
> But tomorrow's chapter will haf Rowena in it, and some answers, yes.


	71. Chapter 71

They were all fussing over him. Hovering. And it was uncomfortable. Sure, it was nice that they cared, but...having such a fuss made over him was...just not something he was used to.

It certainly didn't help matters that there was most definitely something _wrong_ with him. Since they'd taken their seats in the reading area (himself, Gabriel, Castiel, Dean, Alicia, Max, Heturi, Mefusa), the other angels had taken to dragging more furniture over so that they could be nearby as well. While they all distracted themselves with idle conversation, Sam took to self-examination.

The babies were fine--this he knew from the multiple instances he'd checked them with every time he'd lost consciousness. So it was something with him. He searched through his body, but felt nothing off with it. Nothing felt wrong. He was baffled.

Before he could consider anything further or deeper, however, he felt the presence they typically associated with a villain. Dean was instantly on edge, feathers ruffling in agitation. Max's expression had become a tight grimace. Alicia was the one taking it in stride, rising to go to the door. Sam shot her an appreciative smile and moved, taking Gabriel's hand.

Gabriel looked at him, then glanced around at Max and Alicia before finally looking back at Sam. "I take it she's here?" he asked.

Sam nodded, nuzzling the side of Gabriel's head softly. "You trust me, right?" he asked in a whisper.

The golden angel pulsed with curious worry. "Of course," he responded.

' _I'm going to ask her to take a look at me, if she will. I need help figuring this out, Gabe. Before something serious happens_ ,' Sam passed to him.

Protest filled their connection, but it faded into resignation rather quickly. ' _If she hurts you, or them...I'll kill her, Sam. I swear I will_ ,' Gabriel sent back, casting a look over their shoulders.

Sam sent only a warm swath of emotion back to Gabriel, trying to reassure him. He looked up as Alicia approached, Rowena in tow, the Witch's eyes glancing about at the various angels crowding the reading area.

"My, but what a welcome!" she spoke, finding a lone arm chair to sit in and casting a glance at Dean, then settling her gaze on Sam. "But I get the feeling they aren't quite here for little old me," she determined.

Sam gave a faint smile and a nod. "Angels have protective instincts, when it comes to those bearing new life," he hedged. But he didn't yet broach the subject of what was going on with him.

Instead, he looked at Mefusa, who rose from the sofa he was sharing with Max and Heturi. Max tensed, but forced himself back in his seat, tight frown in place. Heturi looked a bit uneasy as well, but moved and took Max's hand, albeit a bit hesitantly. It had Max relaxing just the slightest bit, though, and Mefusa cast a small smile at both of them before stepping toward Rowena.

"This is Mefusa," Sam introduced. "He has volunteered to extend his grace to you, so you may examine it. Rowena, I ask that you please be careful not to press into it. The consequences of doing as much would be rather severe, and I'm not just talking about what the process would do to you...but what the rest of us would do to you as well," he said plainly.

Rowena quirked an eyebrow, but nodded, looking slightly humored. The glint in her eyes, however, said that she was taking the warning seriously. She then raised a hand to Mefusa, her energy surrounding it as she gave a small wiggle of her fingers, smiling up at him in invitation. Mefusa gave her a faint frown, but all the same, he took her hand. His wings instantly tensed, feathers ruffling at the sensation of touching her energy, but then he went still. Rowena's brows quirked a bare few seconds later, making it obvious that Mefusa's grace had reached out to her. Her brow then furrowed as she focused, examining what she felt.

All the angels were silent, watching, and Max looked ready to jump up and rip Mefusa away at a second's notice.

Several moments passed in the tense silence, Mefusa looking highly discomforted. But finally, Rowena was pulling her hand away, tilting her head curiously. "How very unique," she spoke.

Mefusa's feathers settled a bit as he made his way back to Max and Heturi, the two of them shuffling to the sides so that he could sit in between them. At that, Mefusa bore a humored expression, but he sat, taking one of their hands each. Rowena looked on for a moment, curious, but said nothing of it. Instead, "Thank you, Mefusa, for being a dear and allowing me to poke and prod," she said with a benign smile. Then she looked over to Sam. "And you, Sam. I imagine if not for your influence, I'd not have been allowed back, or indeed, even invited in, in the first place, yesterday," she spoke.

Sam gave a faint smile. "Perhaps I could convince you of something, to show your appreciation?" he spoke. That had many of the angels looking at him in mild surprise. After all, only Gabriel knew he'd been planning to ask something of her. It also had Dean hissing out a warning, "Sam!" But Sam pressed on when Rowena did little more than tilt her head in curiosity. "Something's wrong with me. I've lost consciousness three times since your visit yesterday. ...I'm only a week into my pregnancy, if that, and shouldn't be having such severe exhaustion issues. There's nothing wrong or off with the babies that I can feel, and I can't feel anything wrong with my body. I'm at a loss, and I need help," he admitted quietly.

Rowena stared for a long moment, a stunned look settling about her face, before a soft smile graced her features. "Aye, I'd be honored to help ye," she spoke gently.

"No!" Max let out, at the same time that Dean jumped up with a, "Like hell!"

And unfortunately, their reactions had more than one angel starting to posture defensively, and some even outright aggressively.

Sam huffed out a sigh. "Did no one listen to what I just said?!" he barked out, allowing his own wings to come up in aggression. It was rare that Sam acted this way toward any of them, and it had most of the angels backing down in response. Sam didn't really pay attention to them, his gaze on Dean instead. His brother was the biggest issue here, and he knew it. "Something is _wrong_. And I can't figure it out! I need help," he hissed out at his brother.

"So we find a hero that can help! We don't--"

"Stop being an idiot for two damned minutes! She's..." Sam started, but blinked, another wave of exhaustion trying to crash over him. Gabriel's gaze snapped around to him in alarm, but Sam kept his focus on Dean, trying to keep ahold of reality. "She's not just powerful, Dean, she...she has a lot of knowledge. She's...been around...."

"Shit, Sam?!" Dean's voice came, but Sam's eyes had already slid shut.

\---

Sam slumped into Gabriel's side, wings falling limp. Gabriel shifted under him until he could get his mate laying down on his side, his head on Gabriel's lap. Dean was practically hovering over the two of them, wings high and twitching in worried agitation. Gabriel looked up at him...then over at Rowena. "Please help us," he spoke quietly. He didn't really want this woman near Sam, but Sam had had hope that she would help, had chosen to extend her a modicum of trust in that hope...and Gabriel would do what he could to follow his wishes. Because Sam was right...something more serious could happen if this wasn't taken care of soon.

Dean's gaze snapped up to Gabriel, then he whirled to stare at the red-headed woman.

Rowena watched Sam for a moment, then looked up at Dean, raising an eyebrow in challenge. Dean started bristling for a brief moment, but obviously Cassie was soothing him, because he cast a look in his direction, then flicked out his wings, settling them into a neutral position. When he moved, taking a step back from Sam and Gabriel, Rowena rose from her seat slowly, turning her gaze to Gabriel.

"I'll need him laid out properly," she spoke simply.

Frowning, Gabriel nodded and carefully moved out from under Sam. With Dean's help, they got him stretched out on the sofa on his back, one of his wings pinned a little awkwardly against the back of it, but it'd do. He and Dean stepped back then, and Rowena neared, kneeling at the side of the sofa and bringing her hands up. With a glow very similar to Sam's own surrounding her hands, she place one just under his chest, and the other on his forehead.

Nothing happened, not that any of them could see, for several long moments. But then Gabriel felt something and he frowned at the sensation skirting his consciousness. He felt a prod, but it wasn't Sam. It was something...outside of them, outside of their connection. He felt another prod, and slowly, Rowena was looking up at him with curious eyes. He quirked an eyebrow, locating the moving, skirting sensation, and prodded back against it. Rowena's eyebrows shot up, a humored smile crossing her lips, and then she looked back down at Sam. The sensation vanished from what Gabriel could feel, and he had a guess that meant that Rowena was focusing more on Sam than their connection she'd felt.

It was another few moments before she moved her hand under Sam's chest down to his stomach. Sam's wings began to twitch violently at that, and his expression became one of ill-ease, but he didn't rouse otherwise. It took all Gabriel had not to pull her away, and more than one angel was stepping forward. Cassie had somehow got onto the other side of the human woman and was looming over her in open threat. She gave him a passing glance, but returned her focus to Sam in short order.

Finally, she sat back on her haunches, pulling her hands away. She bore a puzzled frown and looked up at Gabriel. "What can ye tell me of how a baby grows inside the womb?" she asked.

It was Nariel that stepped forward to answer. "Biologically, it's much the same as it is for a human," he said. "However, I've been unable to find any texts that speak of how a human soul comes to be. For our race, grace forms by splintering fragments from the parent's grace and changing to form a new consciousness," he spoke.

Gabriel blinked. "Oh, shit," he muttered.

"Sammy's still got a soul. ...What's this doing to him?" Dean spoke, looking at Nariel.

"The wee ones growing in there, they have souls, but they're seeking out grace also, it seems...and they're not able to pull it from Samuel. His soul is trying to compensate automatically, but it's draining him," Rowena spoke.

Cassie frowned, stepping back just a bit and looking at Dean. Dean shook his head and gave a shrug, but said nothing aloud. But Gabriel could guess his train of thought, and wasn't going to dismiss his brother's concerns, even in his own worry for his mate and children. Plus, it probably applied to the one he was carrying, anyway. "Wait, how are souls formed, then?" he asked.

Rowena raised a brow as she looked up at him. "To be honest? I'm not entirely certain. Old as I am, and I'm far older than I look, dear...I've never been able to figure it out. Even when I was carrying about my wee Fergus. My best guess is stardust kisses and fairytale wishes," she mused. "They simply come into being, usually close to when the child is conceived, though it sometimes can be later on."

Cassie seemed more settled at that, and was now looking at Sam worriedly. "So what can we do? What will the fledglings do, if they cannot obtain grace?" his little brother spoke up.

"I'm afraid I do not have the answer there. But...perhaps...a grace transfusion, of sorts, may be able to remedy this situation? Is that possible?" she suggested.

Gabriel frowned in thought, then shot a questioning gaze at Nariel. Nariel was already considering it, and soon met Gabriel's gaze. "Maybe, but...I don't know. There's just no way to know until we actually attempt it," he said.

"Well! If it's quite alright, I'd like to stick around, see how things go. If I may?" Rowena spoke, looking at Dean.

Dean stared at her for several long seconds, but he turned his gaze to Gabriel. Unused to anyone but Sam consulting him for decisions, Gabriel blinked for a moment, then looked down at the Witch. He didn't trust her, despite how much help she'd been just now. ...But Sam wouldn't want to alienate her, he knew that. He'd felt that Sam wanted her as an ally, and the hope he had that eventually, they could build enough of a rapport with her to both have her trust, and be able to trust her. Uncertain though he was, Gabriel nodded, and prayed to the Father and Mother that they wouldn't come to regret this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO, CHAPPIE!


	72. Chapter 72

Sam woke to the dim light of the evening filtering in through the windows, with a cramp in his left wing. He frowned and sat up to get it out of the awkward position it was in and relieve himself of that pain, blinking when he was swarmed with people fussing over him to 'lay back' and 'take it easy.' He didn't even know the names of half of these angels, and it was more than a little uncomfortable. "Hey, guys...I'm just sitting up, that's all," he said, raising his hands in placation.

He heard his brother's huff of amusement from nearby and tilted a bit to see around the crowd about him. Dean was watching with a smug look on his face. "It's nice not having to fuss over you all on my own," he said, once their eyes met.

Sam shot him a bitch face, then looked back at where he was being shoved a glass of water, sighing as he took it. "Okay, okay, I'm alright," he spoke, trying to get the fussing angels to back off a bit.

"Ye cannot blame them, Sam," Rowena's voice came from opposite the angels, and Sam blinked, surprised she hadn't been run off the second he'd lost consciousness. "You're going through something quite serious. But, we may have a solution in the working," she said.

Sam grimaced, unable to see her, and moved to stand, wanting eye contact for this conversation. The angels surged and forced him back down, even if it was gently. His wings gave a hard twitch, but he managed to keep them settled. Instead, he looked at the crowd around him. "If I'm not going to be allowed to stand, then please move so I can see," he spoke as evenly as he could manage.

The bunch of mother hens parted, and he was able to see Rowena, Nariel, and Gabriel all around a tablet on the opposite sofa from him. He tilted his head, wanting to get up and go see what they were looking at, but stayed still.

"Alright...so...what's wrong with me, then? And what have you come up with?" he asked, looking from the tablet, to Gabriel, then Nariel, and finally Rowena.

"Your wee ones are seeking out grace from ye, but as ye don't have it, your soul's been trying to compensate, which is what's been knocking ye for a spell," Rowena began.

Feeling Sam's confusion, as well as seeing the frown marring his brow, Gabriel cut in. "As we've come to understand, souls form on their own, but that's not the case with grace. It's splintered from the parent, and grows to be the new life's own. ...And apparently, our children are going to have some strange amalgamation of both soul and grace, because they already have souls, according to Rowena," he said.

Sam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I've...I've felt that," he spoke. He carefully didn't look at Gabriel's tummy, or at Cas'. He wanted to see what he could sense about their other child, and their nephew. His mind was already considering the ramifications of other people winding up bonding with angels, becoming angels, and enduring this same issue. It was concerning. He huffed out a breath and nodded. "Okay, so...what did we come up with then?"

"A grace transfusion," Nariel piped up. "We're trying to figure out some exacting logistics...such as, if we should attempt to administer the grace directly to the fledglings. Or if it would be better to attempt to tie the grace directly to your soul and allow the splintering process to occur naturally," he said.

Sam nodded slowly, looking down at the coffee table as he thought it over. He hated the idea of being an experiment. ...No, that was a lie. He didn't mind it so much, not when it could benefit others. What he minded, what he hated the idea of, was that it would affect the children he was carrying, that their lives were at risk here. Unfortunately...there were potentially infinitely more lives at risk.

Gabriel was trying to soothe his roiling emotions, but it was clear his mate was in near to the same state. He had already had these thoughts, clearly, and knew just what conclusions Sam had reached as well.

"...We'll have to find a better solution," Sam began. "Something that...doesn't rely on outside interference. Because all of this is going to be difficult enough for humans to process. Add in that something like this has to be facilitated, and they'll wind up going on the offensive, deem it unnatural, call us all abominations...the list goes on," he said with a heavy sigh.

Rowena's smile faded as he spoke. "Aye. For someone who's not been around quite so long, you are yet wise, Samuel. And correct. The fallout of such a thing would be catastrophic in human-angel relations," she input.

Sam nodded gravely. "But for now...let's try to make this as natural for the babies as possible, and see about tying the grace directly to my soul, so they can do this splintering process," he said, venturing back to the main topic. His eyes moved to Gabriel; he wouldn't want just anyone's grace in him, and imagined his mate felt the same. "...This isn't going to hurt you too badly, is it?" he asked worriedly.

Gabriel smiled gently and shrugged. "The extraction will hurt, I won't lie to you, Sammich," he said. And where was he suddenly coming up with these nicknames from?? "But I will recover from it. Grace replenishes itself, much in the same way a soul does, I imagine," he told him.

'... _You'll both be okay?_ '

' _Sparky and I will be fine, sweet Samshine_.'

Sam nodded, though he was still concerned. "Alright. ...In the morning, then? When we're all rested and alert enough for this?" At Nariel and Gabriel's nods, he turned on his brother. "...Dean, go cook dinner," Sam fussed.

His older brother spluttered, then stood, grousing the whole way to the kitchen.

Dean made some sort of cheesy chicken casserole thing that probably wasn't entirely healthy, but not a single person was complaining. It was quite tasty, after all, and there was more than enough for all of them to eat their fill.

Seating arrangements had changed just a bit.

Mefusa and Heturi now sat near Max, at the end of the table the humans (and former humans) usually occupied. It seemed that, whatever issues Heturi had been having had been worked out, or maybe Sam was just hoping that they had been. But at present, it seemed Max was being the quiet one of the three of them. Which was saying a lot, as Mefusa and Heturi were typically pretty quiet anyway. But Max looked to be pretty deep in thought, and Sam was pretty sure he had a guess as to what it was he was thinking about. After all, Max had recently expressed that he wished to bond with Mefusa and Heturi. But now, given what Sam was going through, he was likely considering all the repercussions. After all, there was no telling if Max would wind up a Nester or a Sentinel. Either way, he could still wind up having the ability to bear children, really. And if that were to happen, would he wind up in the same predicament Sam found himself in?

Armaya had taken to sitting with Balthazar and Samandriel at what was, essentially, the Lurbardr's table. That was really no surprise, and she'd been sitting with them since they'd arrived.

What was a surprise, however, was Mikiye. She'd taken to sitting next to Meraya. The two got on like a house on fire. And for a brief moment, Sam almost thought it was something more. But then he caught Mikiye glancing in Unti's direction during a lull in conversation. Hmm.

Rowena was sitting across from Dean and Cas, next to Alicia...and Dean was, surprisingly, being amicable toward the sometimes-villainess. He wasn't sure why, but Sam suspected that it had to do with her involvement in helping Sam. Of course, once she proved no longer useful, Dean would probably turn a cold shoulder to her once again, unless she managed to grow on him before that. Dean tended to be like that with people he deemed no-good...and he most definitely had put the Scottish Witch into that category.

In all, though, everyone seemed to be getting along relatively well at the moment, and Sam smiled slightly at that.

More than that, he was happy. Yes, he had an issue going on with his soul and lack of grace, and pretty much passing out because of it, but...he was happy. Happier than he'd ever been, if he was being honest. ...And happier than he'd ever thought he would be again, after what had happened with Jess. He looked over at Gabe, to see his mate already watching him with a faint look of curious concern. He just smiled in return, pulsing love and fondness through their connection. ...Gabriel had expressed a few times how he felt, how he'd never had expected to have not just found a place to build a life, but a home as well. And Sam...he felt the same way. Who'd have guessed that investigating an atmospheric breach in the form of a sonic boom would've lead to this?

Whatever came their way...they'd meet it together. They'd figure this all out.

It suddenly occurred to him that Earth was entering a new era...that Dean, himself, Castiel, and Gabriel...they were the heralds of it. And so, they would make this work. They wouldn't let it fall apart.

It was Armaya, Balthazar, and Samandriel that took over cleanup after dinner.

Sam was escorted by his mate, brother, brother-in-law, three humans and too many angels to count, into the living area, where it was Max who picked the movie of the night.

And of course, Max decided that there'd been enough kid movies. Max decided that the angels needed something a bit more...dark. Max picked...The Conjuring.

' _Oh, fuck. Okay. It's just a movie, Gabe. Remember that it's just a movie, okay?_ ' Puzzlement met his warning and Gabriel tilted his head, looking at Sam. ' _This is a movie in the genre of horror. Expect some scary shit_ ,' Sam explained.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, but nodded and settled in.

That night, when the movie was over, the angels wound up in a cuddle pile in the middle of the living room floor, wary of leaving one another unguarded. Mefusa and Heturi dragged Max in on it, and Dean wound up being sucked in, too, unwilling to leave Cas' side. Alicia, chuckling, went off to her room, and Rowena went to go stake one out for herself for the night.

As they settled in with blankets and couch cushions and pillows all along the floor, Sam turned to Dean. "We oughta do a bonfire one night...grill out, do smores, the whole nine yards," he suggested.

"Grilled food?" Glips perked from a few feet away.

Dean chuckled, as did Sam, as they looked over at her. "Yeah, grilled food," Dean responded. "And wait till you guys try smores. Though, Sammy, I'm not so sure you want Gabe getting addicted to those," he said.

"What are smores?" Gabriel chimed in immediately, sensing it must be something good.

While he could just pass the information to Gabriel, Sam settled for describing it aloud for the benefit of the other angels. "A smore is when you put a piece of chocolate--"

"Sounding good," Gabriel interrupted.

Sam rolled his eyes and continued, "--on a graham cracker. Then you toast a marshmallow over the fire and put it on top of the chocolate. The heat of the hot marshmallow melts the chocolate and makes it gooey. You top it off with another square of graham cracker, and eat it like a sandwich."

"Can we do this tomorrow night?" Castiel spoke up, surprisingly. Dean was chuckling at whatever was going on through their connection.

Sam shrugged. "I'm not sure. Dean and I need to go do some grocery shopping. We're low on supplies. But that needs to wait until I'm at a somewhat decent capacity, because getting back and forth with all that stuff without using my teleporting will be a big hassle," he told the whole of them.

"Mm, I suppose it'd be easier on you if the rest of us remained behind this time around," Sefir spoke from nearby.

Sam craned his head to see him and gave an apologetic smile. "Not just that, but if we include Rowena in things, there's...what, thirty, thirty-five of us?" he said.

"Thirty-four, actually," Cas supplied a bare few seconds later. "However, it would be prudent for you two to take a few people along, as you will need more assistance in gathering all we would need to last for more than a scant few days," he offered.

Sam looked at Cas, then at Dean. Dean looked in thought, then nodded. "Alright, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We gotta get Sammy into decent enough shape first. And I think we've got enough to last us at least another day, if we're careful enough," his older brother said.

"What are stores like here?" the cobalt winged Sentinel from across their pile spoke.

Sam smiled and soon was lulled to sleep by the chatter of the crew of the Bilum telling everything they'd seen at the grocery store and in the mall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooooo, chappie!
> 
> ...Work is riding me hard about my project T^T...I don't wanna do it. MEH. u.u
> 
> GRACE TRANSFUSION TOMORROW! ...*grin*


	73. Chapter 73

Agony. Agony, agony--agony _agonyagony_ , God, the _PAIN!_

Sam bolted awake, sitting up with a harsh gasp, clutching at his chest and trying not to scream. Beside him, Gabriel failed to keep in sound, letting out a short whimper before crying out under their shared burden.

Around them, angels jolted and stirred into wakefulness. Dean was the first to make sense of the situation, moving over closer. "Sammy? What is it, what's going on?"

Sam gasped in another breath, trying to focus through the onslaught. It was no use, and a bare few seconds (that felt like hours) later, he was shaking his head. "Hurts," was all he managed to get out, curling forward over his legs.

Gabriel was in pain, too, and Sam knew he'd be upset about it, but he couldn't make him suffer through this. His mate was near to screaming with it, now. And so, Sam cinched their connection shut.

The effect on them both was immediate. Gabriel whimpered in the echoes of pain, but Sam...Sam was left with all of it.

He managed a short grunt as he tried to hold back, but then he was the one screaming, clawing at his chest, trying to withstand it, but it was like--

_Like something was ripping his soul apart._

He had a moment of clarity and gasped in air, his eyes desperately seeking out his brother. "Rowena, find--" he began, gritting his teeth at another wave of pain. He fell back onto the floor, back bowed up away from it, as he tried not to scream again. He could hear his blood pumping in his ears, drowning out all other sound as he worked on riding out this wave, this utter tsunami of pure torture.

When his awareness came back in again, Gabriel was crowded up by his head, terror thinly veiled in his eyes as he brushed fingers through Sam's hair. "Share it with me, Sammy, I can take it," he pleaded as soon as he noticed Sam's eyes focusing on him.

Sam shook his head tiredly. "'s worse than anything, Gabe. Can't...can't do it to you," he murmured, panting lightly as he looked around. Max and Dean were nowhere to be seen. Sefir, Mefusa, Balthazar, and Samandriel were all keeping a small radius open around himself, Gabriel, Castiel, and Nariel, keeping the other angels from crowding them.

Slowly, Sam began to relax. "...I...I think it might've passed," he said uncertainly, not yet feeling another wave of pain. Tiredly, he turned his head back toward Gabriel. "Time is it?" he asked.

Gabriel blinked, looking up and around for an answer.

"2:37," he heard Dean answer, approaching from the outside of the angels, breaking through them easily, Rowena and Max following behind him.

Sam frowned. He'd woken them all in the dead of the night with this.

Gabriel promptly flicked his forehead. "I don't need our connection open to know what you're thinking in there. No feeling guilty, dammit," he muttered. "We're all far more concerned about you," he fussed worriedly.

"Ye are able to close that thing off?" Rowena asked curiously as she neared.

Sam turned his head (though it was more of a flop) to look at her, giving a faint smile. "It's not a comfortable thing to do," he admitted.

He moved his hands to his stomach, pulling forth his energy. He winced as he did so, sore in a soul-deep way. But his energy still rose to meet his demands, and he could sense the lives still flourishing within him. ...They seemed healthy, but Sam suspected they were needing that grace, and soon, if they'd been pulling at his soul so hard.

All eyes were on his hands when he took notice of the room again. He gave a faint smile. "They're alright," he spoke, watching Gabriel as their eyes met. "But they need grace," he continued with a small grimace. "They're pulling awful hard for it. That's...that's what that was," he explained, forcing another smile, weak though it was.

Gabriel let out a worried, wounded noise. "...Splintering feels nothing like that," he murmured quietly.

Sam shrugged. "I guess the human soul's just not meant to do that sort of thing," he countered softly. He turned his gaze to Nariel. "We'll need to do this transfusion soon. I don't know how long they'll wait before trying again," he spoke, allowing a thread of urgency into his tone. He wasn't sure he could endure that pain again without losing his damned mind from it.

Nariel blinked, then looked around for a moment before frowning. "Doing it here would not be advisable. The best place would be up in the medical station of the Bilum," he said, meeting Sam's eyes again. "Do you think you could walk?"

Sam gave a short nod and moved to sit up, head spinning dizzily the second he did. "...Maybe not," he muttered.

"S'alright, Sammy. We got you," Dean spoke, moving to help Sam to his feet and bracing underneath his younger brother's arm. Gabriel took up Sam's other side, but Sam was careful to lean more on Dean, not wanting to put too much on his mate.

"I'd teleport up there, but I don't think I'd stay conscious for very long if I did that," Sam spoke, voice quiet.

"Yeah, that's a big no. Don't sweat it, little brother. Gabe and I got you," Dean huffed as they made their way to the elevator, the angels thankfully readily parting for them, more than one of them casting a concerned glance his way.

The elevators were fortunately large, but even so, it was a little crowded, what with Dean, Sam, Gabriel, Castiel, Rowena, and Nariel all crowding in.

Sam was tired. He wanted to just go to sleep and recover. But thankfully, he wasn't passing out after the pain of his soul being pulled at by the three lives growing inside of him. And he knew that he needed to get this transfusion over with to prevent it from happening again. So sleep wasn't an option at the moment.

The elevator opened up to the roof, and Sam shuffled alongside Dean and Gabriel, head still a bit on the swimmy side. Within minutes, they were in the medical station, and Nariel had moved to gesture to an extra-large medical bed, the only one of its kind in the room. "Both of you up here...the closer together you two are for this, the better," he dictated.

His brother and mate helped him up onto the bed first, then Gabriel went around and climbed up next to him, immediately scooting close. Sam smiled softly and reached up, cupping his cheek in his hand, his thumb stroking under his eye and over his cheekbone gently. "I love you," he murmured.

Nariel was moving over behind Gabriel's back. Gabriel's wings gave a twitch and the set that were on his exposed side moved up over his side and draped halfway across Sam. "I love you," his mate responded. And then he shut his eyes, his face becoming contorted with pain.

Sam moved his other hand to take Gabriel's, holding it tight. He was tempted to reopen their connection, but he wanted to wait until this was done, and he was sure that he wouldn't wind up making the golden angel hurt again.

Minutes later and Gabriel's tense form was sagging, his eyes slowly opening to watch Sam. Sam watched him for a moment before he caught sight of Nariel holding a swirling blue light in his hands as he walked around them, towards Sam's back. Sam tilted his head in curiosity as he watched.

"Gotta move your wings, kiddo," Gabriel spoke quietly, sounding almost like he was out of breath. "He's gotta go in right between 'em."

Sam looked back at Gabriel, then brought up his wing, tucking it over the set Gabriel had tucked over them.

He jolted at the sensation of the grace being pressed into him, but...it was Gabriel's grace, and he found himself relaxing slowly. It felt right. How could it not?

He could feel something else, something not the same, and could only assume that was Nariel's presence. It was...not right, not comfortable, but he kept still.

It took several minutes, but Nariel apparently found the way to Sam's soul, because the feeling of Gabriel's grace was suddenly suffusing with him on a level he could only compare to when they reached out to one another. It was comforting and comfortable, and didn't come with the same energy build up that happened when they were actively reaching out.

But then that went to hell, because Nariel was doing something, and it was...it was bad. It was worse than the pain he'd experienced not but half an hour beforehand, that had wrenched him so violently from sleep. His voice cracked as he choked out a startled cry and tried to move away from the pain, but then there was noise and yells, and hands on him, keeping him still, and he couldn't help but to scream and fight and push.

This was wrong, this was bad. He could feel Gabriel's grace, and no, that could never be wrong, but this sensation that was invading his very core, that--that was wrong and painful and he wanted it to stop! It seemed to go on forever, and no matter what he did, he couldn't get away from it.

But finally...oh, finally, it receded, and he was left with Gabriel's grace tucked against--no, into--his soul.

He whimpered as he opened his eyes, not even sure when he'd closed them. Gabriel had his face in both hands, tears streaming from his eyes in worry and fear. Castiel had his shoulders in a vice like grip, and Dean was holding his hip and legs, keeping him still. He felt his lips move, but he couldn't form words...didn't even know what words he wanted to form.

"It's done, now. I'm sorry, Sam. I...no one's every reacted like that," Nariel's voice came from behind him.

Sam blinked a few times. "What...what was that? Why did it..." he started, but trailed off, keeping his eyes on Gabriel.

"In essence, I stitched the grace to your soul. But souls aren't...it seems they aren't quite as malleable as grace. It caused you great pain, and...I apologize," Nariel spoke uneasily.

Slowly, Cas released his shoulders, and Sam finally moved to look up at his brother in law. He then looked down at Dean, and finally, back to Gabriel, reaching up to brush away his tears. "I'm okay now," he murmured softly.

"Yeah, well, I bet you'll be better after you get a good night's rest," Dean spoke up in a gruff tone. "No walking after that shit-show, either. I'm carrying you down."

Sam grimaced and looked up to protest, but Dean shot him his 'You're-doing-what-I'm-saying-or-else' look, and Sam relented with a heavy sigh. He looked back at Gabriel. "What about you? Are you okay to come down on your own?" he asked worriedly.

Gabriel smirked, albeit weakly, and gave a small nod. "Might have to lean on Cassie a bit, but yeah, I'm good," he admitted.

Sam frowned in concern, but Dean was already scooping him off the bed. "Come on, ya giant," his big brother muttered.

"You're the one who decided to carry me, you don't get to fuss about how big I am," Sam huffed.

"Hey, you're the one who had to go and shoot up over six feet!" Dean argued as he carried him off. Sam made an attempt to glance back, trying to see as Gabriel got up, but he couldn't get a good look.

"Uhg, just shut up. Can't you wait on him?" he fussed, worried about his mate.

Dean rolled his eyes, but halted and turned, and Sam saw that Gabriel was already on his feet and making his way after them, mostly on his own. He seemed to be doing pretty decently after this whole fiasco of a procedure.

As they went on, Sam noticed Rowena lingering back to speak with Nariel, probably to ask questions about what all she'd witnessed. He didn't mind it; he had a feeling the Witch wouldn't cause trouble.

It didn't take but a couple of minutes to get to their room, as it was just on the floor below the roof. Dean set Sam down on the bed, fussing a bit over him like the worried, overprotective brother he could be, before Sam managed to wave him off by batting away his hands. "Go on, jerk, I'll be fine," he huffed.

"Can't blame me for worrying, Sammy," Dean all-but pouted.

Sam smiled a bit and shrugged. "I don't blame you...I appreciate it, actually, but...right now, I just want to sleep," he said, looking over as Gabriel climbed in on the other side of the bed.

Dean looked at Gabe, then back at Sam. "Alright. Night, bitch," he said, flipping off the light as he and Cas left without another word.

Sam turned to face Gabe, and the two snuggled together, soon falling back into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da!
> 
> I inflicted much pain. Yes.
> 
> But things are oki now! ...Mostly >>


	74. Chapter 74

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M ALIVE.
> 
> And deeply apologetic for not updating over the weekend u.u

And it was so that time progressed.

Sam was doing much better after the grace transfusion, and he made the time to examine both Cas and Gabe's fledglings more in-depth. They indeed were a mix of soul and grace, though Sam felt as though Cas' was a bit more soul than grace, for some odd reason. Maybe it had to do with Dean being fully human when the baby had been conceived? He wasn't sure how much that actually mattered, really, but that seemed to be what he was sensing.

He also managed to pin his brother down and get him to allow Sam to examine him as well. ...And he found something intriguing. Dean had grace already bound to his soul. He sat with Dean, Cas, Gabe, Nariel, and Jivi, and the conjecture they all came to agree upon was this: In forming the initial/partial bond, both Sam and Dean had received grace. However, in the wake of their DNA being modified and their wings forming, the grace was completely used up. But, Dean, in completing his bond, had received more grace, that was now being self-sustaining. And Sam and Gabriel, when they completed their own bond, would experience the same.

So, in effect, Sam could've been saved all this trouble of the grace transfusion, if he'd completed his mating bond with Gabriel. Unfortunately, that hadn't been an option, because of the potential risks to the lives they were attempting to bring into the world. ...But now, they knew, should they want more in the future. Sam kept quiet on that front, though. He had a feeling four was going to be all they could handle.

Rowena visited often. Almost every-other-day often. She sat and talked with Sam, Dean, Cas, and Gabe the most often. But she also talked frequently with Nariel and Jivi as well. When it was discovered that Hurzef was a history-keeper as well, he was dragged into Rowena's conversations also.

When Sam found Mikiye including herself in the conversations, he found out that she had been the Lurbardr's grace-healer. He was a little surprised at that, given her attitude those first few days, but she had seemed to adapt to life here pretty quickly, in all. Still, he didn't release her grace just yet. Not until he was sure it wasn't all just an act to get access to it back.

Adam took to visiting every weekend, with Sam teleporting him there on Friday evenings, and back on Sunday nights. When the Fall Semester ended, he came to stay for the few weeks until the Spring Semester began. At the end of the Spring Semester, he'd be graduating, but he hadn't talked about what his plans were beyond that yet. With his degree in medicine, though, Sam was thinking he'd probably wind up doing a residency. Especially since he'd yet to be able to discover another ability beyond his sight. Sam was pretty sure there was at least one more ability hidden somewhere in him, besides the flight that Adam took to stumblingly. But he didn't press the issue; Adam had enough on his plate.

When he visited, he made sure to interact with all the angels, and he had made friends with a good many of them. Especially Nariel and Mikiye, since Adam had in-depth medical knowledge of human biology. However, after a few weekends of his attention being stolen by the grace-healers, Balthazar decided he was having none of it. Sam had actually been close by during that particular scene, and had caught the way it went down.

"So the duodenum--" Adam had been saying, when Balthazar cut in.

"Yes, yes, digestive system this, bile duct that, all very fascinating, but tell me, would you care for a ménage a...what's the French word for four?" Balthazar spoke, shuffling Adam away from the grace-healers.

"Uhh, quatre? Wait, what?!" he let out, staring at Balthazar in bewilderment.

From where Adam was being led, Armaya was covering her face with one hand, apparently some mix of annoyed and amused, while Samandriel just gave a playful smirk.

Charlie visited at least once a week as well, typically on Wednesdays. Because of this, they had made Wednesday nights the official movie night for the compound. They would all eat dinner and gather around the TV, with lots of snacks, to watch classics. Star Wars, The Last Unicorn, The Wizard of Oz, several of the Indiana Jones movies, some James Bond films, and unfortunately, a good amount of horror that Max convinced them all into (which often wound up with them all in a cuddle pile at the end of the night).

It was during one such horror movie night that Loma suddenly gave out a gasp, startling them all during a dramatic swell of music. She was staring down at her stomach in shock, and Sam immediately clambered to his feet before she could even speak, eyes seeking Nariel and Mikiye both. They were both beginning to rise as well as Loma spoke a quiet, "My water broke."

Wings shot up in shock, and there was a murmur of noise, but Sam quickly and calmly spoke over it, turning to Hurzef. "Hurzef, carry her to the elevator. I'd teleport her to the medical station, but I don't want to risk doing that while she's in labor. Nariel, Mikiye, and I will meet you up there," he said. Hurzef wordlessly stood and complied, and Sam looked at the rest of the angels. "I know you're all curious and concerned, but stay here, so no one winds up in the way," he told the lot of them, moving over to Nariel and gesturing for Mikiye to join them. Once he had hands on both of them, he teleported up to the medical station. The other two angels immediately set about preparing for the expectant mother and the two infants they were going to be delivering. Sam stayed back and out of the way; he was only here as a precaution.

Loma was in labor for just over eight hours before she finally delivered two healthy baby girls. It went well, and Sam hadn't needed to do anything, hadn't needed to step in at all. He watched as she held them and smiled up at her mate with pure joy on her features. Seeing no need to intrude on their happy moment, Sam headed back down to his room, ready to sleep; it'd been a long night.

When he woke mid-morning and made his way downstairs, Hurzef was in the kitchen, gathering food for Loma, and proudly told him that his little girls were doing well. They'd named them Kola and Kima. Sam had smiled happily for the Sentinel, congratulating him, and helping him find a decent meal for himself and Loma.

They took the angels out at least once a week. It was always an adventure, that was to be sure. But staying cooped up did none of them any good, and exposure to the world was good for angels and humans alike.

They had been fortunate in that they didn't run into problems often. Usually when they did, it was hecklers that didn't like aliens and were convinced the angels were there to invade and conquer. It was easy to sideline them, because they usually didn't like the odds once they caught sight of flaming weapons.

But of course they'd wind up running into a villain at some point. Their good luck certainly couldn't hold out forever.

And it wouldn't be your run-of-the-mill villain, either. It would be one that Sam and Dean had considered an arch-nemesis during their time as Chrysalis and Argent.

He called himself Böse. German for Evil, along with a host of other translations, but he had an American accent. He made little sense, really. But he was strong, and he'd nearly bested Sam and Dean several times.

With nearly all the angels with them, including their mates, and Sam nearly four months along in his pregnancy at that point...he probably should've expected that Dean would wind up injured trying to keep them all safe.

But seeing his brother with a hole in his middle, where his diaphragm and esophagus should be...it still struck him cold. Castiel's agonized screams, of both terror and pain, certainly didn't help.

He turned his eyes to Böse's laughing face, and wondered why he'd been holding back when the man had first appeared. Why had Dean? They were both more powerful now, and the villain was nothing. A flick of Sam's sword proved that, flame shooting from it and immolating Böse in a near instant, not allowing him to threaten his friends or family any further. Sam then moved quickly to his brother's side. Dean still had a spark, but it wouldn't last long, not when he had no capability of drawing breath.

Understanding and encouragement rolled out of Gabriel, and he knew his mate already understood Sam would lose consciousness after this. He also knew that Gabriel would make sure they were taken care of, gotten home safely, and that all would be well. So Sam poured all his focus on his brother, doing all he could to keep him tethered to the world as he sped through his healing as much as was safely possible.

When he woke, it was mere days later. His body had not gone into stasis as it usually did, following a massive healing. Probably because of the lives it was supporting, if Sam had to guess. As a result, he was weak as a kitten all the way around, and being kept up in the medical station for monitoring.

Unable to check on his fledglings himself, he had to rely on Nariel's equipment and trust that they were indeed healthy and whole, until he did have the strength to check for himself.

Gabriel pretty much stayed at his side, only leaving to get food for the both of them.

Cas had been having false labor pains since Dean's incident, and Nariel was keeping a close eye on him. During the week that Sam was kept in the medical station, Cas had been up there four times because of the false labor. But as he was into his eighth month already, he probably would be giving birth pretty soon.

Dean was up pretty often, too. Not just with Cas, but to check in on Sam. His big brother was very obviously worried over Sam, unused to him not going into stasis while he recovered from a hard healing session. But Sam did his best to assure him each time that he was doing well in recovering.

The other angels visited, too, of course, as well as Max and Alicia, and Rowena when she dropped in. Adam had called that Friday, and Sam had explained that he wasn't able to come get him and why, and of course, his little brother had expressed worry and offered to fly in. Sam had told him to only fly in if he wanted to visit, but not to bother if it was just to fuss over Sam; the Guardian had enough mother-hens checking in on him.

So of course that meant Adam was there later that night and fussing over Sam at his bedside.

When Sam did finally recover, he was relieved to feel his triplets were doing well; he also discovered that they'd finally settled on their genders (later than most did). He knew their sexes, thanks to Nariel. Two of them were boys, and one was a girl. And, it seemed, their genders fell in line with that, unless two of them had swapped out on him, but he wouldn't be able to tell until they were born.

Their son, that Gabriel was still playfully calling Sparky, was doing well also.

And Cas' little boy was healthy, if not a little distressed. If Sam had to guess, a lot of it had to do with Dean's near-demise and what Cas had wound up feeling in the wake of that. Overall, though, he was good. Perhaps a little anxious to come out into the world, if Sam had to guess.

"Have you guys thought of a name yet?" Sam asked Dean and Cas one night, while the two of them were working on dinner.

Dean shot a sheepish smile at Cas, then turned it on Sam and gave a small shrug. "Uh, yeah...we were thinking Jackie, until...you know, he's ready to be Jack," he answered.

Gabriel, at his side, nodded slowly. "I like it," he said.

Cas, from the stove, looked over and gave a warm smile, but said nothing.

Sam was really happy for his brother and brother-in-law.

That night, after dinner, Sam volunteered for clean up, and Max piped in that he'd help also. As they worked, Max cleared his throat and looked at Sam. "Hey, I uh...I know you only just recovered from healing Dean and all, but uh...I'm...Heturi's grace does react to me, and...I wanna...ya know, bond with them," he spoke, sounding a bit nervous.

Sam looked over at Max from where he was rinsing dishes at the sink. "Okay," he accepted easily. "...It's not gonna do much more than put me out for about a day. I'll be alright, Max. So when are you wanting to do it?" he asked gently.

Max rubbed at the back of his neck. "Honestly, when I talked to them about it...we were kinda thinking tomorrow, if...if you're sure, Sam. I-I don't wanna put too much strain on you," he said with a concerned frown.

Sam turned back to the dishes, smiling warmly. "I'll be alright. It's not a big issue, not at all. Dean and I will both help guide you, too, in doing a full bond, instead of just a partial. It'd be best on everyone if you guys could manage to do it that way, I think," he said pensively.

"Yeah...yeah, I'd appreciate that," Max said, flashing Sam a grateful smile.

Sam gave a short nod, his thoughts drifting to the more minor details as he discussed them with Max.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENED. Time skips, woooo~


	75. Chapter 75

It had been decided, by Sam, Max, Heturi, and Mefusa, that Sam and Dean would be coaching them through the mating bond process, and that Sam would then help settle Max's new genetics into place and, as he had for Dean, facilitate his wings sprouting and forming.

In all honesty, Gabriel wasn't very happy about this. Sam had only just recovered from healing Dean from a fatal wound! But...he didn't protest. He knew his mate, very well. Sam was a giving person, to a fault, really. But it was one of the reasons Gabriel loved him.

Another reason he was unhappy was because he was decidedly jealous. Dean and Cassie had cemented their bond, and now Mefusa, Heturi, and Max would be doing the same. And he and Sam couldn't. Not yet. Not for another five or six months, at least. ...And that stung.

He honestly was trying not to be hurt, bitter, or jealous, but the fact of the matter was, he couldn't help but to feel that way. Sam, of course, picked up on it. And he felt similarly about it all, but instead of lamenting over it like Gabriel was, he instead focused on his mate, on making Gabriel feel better, feel loved, and feel reassured. Sam loved him, so much, and yes, Gabriel loved him too, of course he did! But he just...he wanted the bond completed. He couldn't help how he felt, and he knew he was wallowing in it too much. But Sam did help, did make him feel better.

Still, it was only worry for his mate, rather than happiness for the soon to be nested triad, that drew him out in front of the compound the next evening. They had decided on the front side of the building, rather than the side, as the flowers, vines, and tree that Sam had ultimately created (even if the tree was more of a result of Dean and Cassie's mating) took up a large amount of space. Sam was of the train of thought that they'd need more of a canvas to work with in the wake of Heturi, Mefusa, and Max coming together.

Gabriel stood nearby with a group of spectators. Mefusa, Heturi, Max, Dean, Sam, and Rowena were all a good few yards away. Rowena was sticking close with her insatiable curiosity about the whole process of the mating bond that the triad would be partaking in. Alicia was hovering closer than the rest of the compound as well, looking a good bit concerned, but having the sense to stay back a bit. She probably remembered the light show that had been when Dean and Cassie had completed their bond.

He watched as Sam and Dean spoke with the nest in front of them. In the partial bond, there would be a loss of consciousness for all of them, but with a full bond, there was likely only to be a loss of consciousness for Max, while his body adjusted to the changes. Sam would make it as quick and smooth as possible for him, but there was no telling how long he'd be out.

Sam had Max take the middle, so that he would have contact with both Mefusa and Heturi. He had Max remove his shirt as well, so that they would be able to free his wings more easily. And finally, Sam and Dean had the three of them lay back on the grass.

With a last few words each from the Guardian brothers, Max pulled his energy forth. On either side of him, his soon-to-be mates reached up, each taking one of his hands. Seconds later, it was as though the sun had fallen from the sky to land in front of them...though only in brightness, not in heat. And, as it had with Dean and Cassie, it got brighter. Impossibly so, and Gabriel was forced to not only close his eyes, but turn away. The sheer brightness was too much even for his closed lids.

He was barely aware that the light had faded before a strangled cry filled the area around the compound. He turned to see Sam already kneeling at Max's head, Mefusa and Heturi watching with pained expressions on their faces as Gabriel's mate put his glowing hands on the newest angel. Alicia was stumbling closer at her twin's pained yells, and Sam was gritting his teeth and muttering something that Gabriel couldn't hear from this distance. Whatever he was saying had Heturi moving and placing his hands on Max's face, talking to him. It took minutes of this before Sam relaxed and then seconds after, Max's cries cut off with barely even an echo of a whimper. Sam was saying something again, and both Heturi and Mefusa moved, helping to turn Max onto his stomach. Slowly, Gabriel edged closer, as did most of the angels behind him. They all were curious to see the new angel's wings.

The nodules were barely there, barely able to be seen yet...but there were six. Max would be a Sentinel, if not a Guardian as well. Sam leaned over Max, from above the head of his prone form, one hand in between his shoulder blades, and the other reaching low to settle on the dip in his lower back. As Sam began to work on facilitating the sprouting of Max's wings, Gabriel blinked and finally looked up, realizing they were now in shadow.

Not even ten yards from them were three trees, each barely even separate at the root, and impossibly twisted and twined together. They were tall, stretching as high as the oak Dean and Cassie had been part of making. And they were impossibly breathtaking.

Feeling a wave of tiredness from Sam broke him from his ponderings over the twisted-together trees, and he looked over to see that Max's wings were now out and laying limp on the ground with his state of unconsciousness. The wings were largely sepia in hue; a yellow-red-brown color that made Gabriel think of old photographs he'd seen on TV. Interspersed among the feathers were shocks of soft pink. In all, his wings were soft in color, and made Gabriel think of the downy feathers of a fledgling. He almost wanted to touch, to see if they'd actually be that soft, but he was definitely not that rude. And it would be highly inappropriate were Max's wings to prove as sensitive as Sam's still were, even now.

His eyes rose to Sam where he was attempting to push up from the ground, and he frowned, moving over quickly. Seeing him approach, Sam shot him a warm smile and slipped a wave of soothing through their bond. "I'm alright," he spoke softly as Gabriel neared.

"Yeah, I know, but you look like you're about to fall over anyway, Samborguini. To bed with you!" Gabriel fussed, slipping under his arm.

"I am, I...wait, did you just basically call me a car? ...I'm not a car, Gabe," Sam spoke with a frown.

Gabriel smirked. "I don't know, you're awful fun to ride," he spoke with a broad grin.

"And let's mark that in things I never wanted to hear," Dean spoke from nearby, moving to Sam's other side. "Come on, little brother, let's get you to bed," he spoke.

Sam, blushing wildly, just muttered his assent and allowed Dean and Gabriel to escort him up to their room.

Behind them, Mefusa was lifting Max carefully from the ground, Heturi sticking close to his side as they made their way into the compound as well.

While Sam napped beside him, Gabriel sat up in bed, scouring the internet on one of the many tablets that Charlie had set up for use in the compound. He found a translation website and smirked. Oh, Sam would probably have a fit when he figured him out. But Sam had challenged him. "Sparky? Really? We are not naming this one that," he had said. And so, Gabriel was determined to give their child a name that was as close an approximation as he could get.

And, in Bosnian, with the word Spark, he found the name he liked. Iskra. He'd like the French Lueur, too, and thought they could call him Lue for short, but...Iskra felt better, he thought. Now he just had to convince Sam to accept it as a name without asking too much about it.

He glanced at Sam's swollen belly. It was a good bit bigger than his own, even though they had pretty much conceived within a day or so of one another, but it was to be expected since he was carrying three rather than one. Setting the tablet to the side, he shuffled down on the bed and curled closer to his mate, carefully laying a hand over his stomach. He smiled warmly, happy. When Sam woke up...he'd discuss names with him. And, of course, manage to get him to agree to Iskra somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I'm sorry, but I managed to get it out before the power got cut off at work (they're working on a rotten power pole and have to unplug the transformer that feeds into our building u.u)


	76. Chapter 76

Sam was only beginning to stir when a resounding smack of lips against his had him huffing a breath of amusement as he came the rest of the way awake. He opened his eyes, smiling warmly at the sight of Gabriel, barely lit by the morning light. Their room faced the West, so unfortunately, he didn't get to see him in the dawning sun, but seeing him in the setting sun was always a glorious sight. "Morning, Gabe," he spoke, allowing his amusement to color his tone.

"Morning, Sammich! We need to start picking names!" his mate announced.

Sam blinked, raising an eyebrow. "...Okay. Got any ideas?" he asked.

Gabriel nodded enthusiastically, hand moving to cup the curve of his own belly. "I want to name this one Iskra!" he announced.

Sam tilted his head in thought, considering it. Angel names were, largely, strange. Gabriel's was the most normal name he'd heard. So, he assumed that Iskra was an angel name. ...And, he kinda liked it. Unusual, that was to be certain, but.... His eyes fell to Gabriel's baby bump. He believed that it would suit that son of theirs, somehow. And so, he nodded. "I like it," he confessed.

Gabriel beamed brightly, and there was a faint spark in his eyes that resembled mischief. However, Sam didn't feel that in their bond, so he assumed he was imagining that glimmer. Gabriel's hand then moved to lay against the curve of Sam's belly, rubbing it gently. "What about these? Do you have any thoughts for their names?" the golden angel asked.

Sam hummed in thought, turning his gaze to the ceiling. He knew that, in some cultures, naming a child after someone still living was considered a way of wishing them dead. But...that wasn't Sam's culture, and he doubted it was Gabriel's, either. He moved, turning on his side to face Gabriel fully. "I'd like to name our girl Deanna...kinda after Dean. If you're alright with it?" he spoke quietly.

Gabriel smiled softly, knowing how much Sam's big brother meant to him. "I don't mind at all, kiddo," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to Sam's lips. "But, I'd like to name one of the boys after Cassie, if that's alright."

"I wouldn't mind, but...it'd be a bit confusing with two Castiels running around," Sam said with a small grimace.

Gabriel's eyes flashed with mirth. "Well, I did a little research on angel names here on Earth. You know, the Godly ones? Turns out...Cassie's name is listed. He's described as the angel of Thursday. And Thursday is the common name of Thor's day. So...I was thinking Thor," he said with a chuckle.

Sam blinked a few times. Thor. Were they really going to name one of their boys Thor? Well...in for a penny, in for a pound. "Alright, so one of the boys will be Thor...but it's only right then, that we name the other one Loki," he said with a shrug.

Gabriel beamed and nodded. "We have names!" he crowed happily, nearly falling off the bed when he rolled halfway back. Sam quickly reached out and caught him, chuckling at his antics.

"Alright, alright...let's go head down. I think it's our turn to make breakfast," he said, kissing Gabriel softly before moving to get up.

Maybe it had been their turn to make breakfast, but when they entered the kitchen, it was Dean and Cas cooking at the stove already.

"Oh, sorry, guys. We would've cooked," Sam said with a faint frown.

"You needed rest, Sam," Cas spoke.

"And we weren't sure when you'd come to," Dean added with a shrug as he chopped up fruit to go on the pancakes Castiel was managing to successfully cook.

"Nevermind that!" Gabriel spoke, practically bouncing into his little brother's space. "Cassie! We decided on names!"

Castiel blinked down at Gabriel's grinning face before his eyes went down further, to his tummy. He smiled warmly, looking back up. "That is very good. Pray tell, brother, what names have you and Sam decided upon?"

Gabriel's gaze went to his own tummy, hands cupping it. "This one is going to be Iskra," he spoke, tone full of warmth. He then turned his loving gaze on Sam, and Sam smiled back just as warmly. "And Samshine's three fledglings are going to be Deanna, Thor, and Loki!" he announced happily.

Dean blinked and looked up at Sam, looking confused. "You're naming her after grandma Campbell?" he asked.

Sam blinked, then laughed and shook his head. "I didn't really think about her, no. ...Naming her after you, Dean," he said.

For a scant few seconds, Dean looked misty-eyed. Then he cleared his throat, looking back down at the fruit. "Alright, alright, cool. But uh...pagan gods? Really, Sammy?"

Sam laughed and shook his head. "Actually, Thor is not after a pagan god at all. See, Gabriel looked up biblical angel names, and apparently, Cas is listed as the angel of Thursday," he began to explain.

"And Thursday is just the modern word for Thor's Day," Gabriel finished with a grin.

Cas was staring at him with a look of awe, before turning the gaze over to Sam. "So...Thor is...being named after me?" he asked softly.

Sam shot him a warm smile and nodded. "Easier than having two Castiels running around, unfortunately, but...yeah, Cas, we're naming him after you," he began. He then looked at Dean and shrugged. "And of course, you can't have a Thor without a Loki," he explained with a chuckle.

Dean nodded along, but he was glancing back at Cas with warmth and loving in his gaze.

"Sam! Dean! Help me!" they heard. Their gazes snapped around immediately to see Max scurrying over with a wild look in his eyes. Along the way, his wings knocked into a table, moving it a good bit, and then tossing two chairs to the ground as well. He was shirtless and looked entirely bewildered. "How am I supposed to maneuver these things?" he spoke, glancing back at the furniture he'd bumped into.

Sam blinked and moved over, gripping Max's upper arms. Mefusa and Heturi were stumbling out of the stairwell, having apparently scurried after their mate. "Firstly, relax. You're holding them rigid, Max. Your mind and body will move and adjust them automatically, instinctually. So...just take a deep breath. Good...now let it out, and with it...all that tension you've got churning on in there," he fussed gently. Max did as instructed, and his wings fell into a more true neutral position. By this time, Mefusa and Heturi were closer, but they'd paused a few feet back, both shifting uneasily as they watched Max.

' _I'm going to take them onto the patio, teach them how to open their connection_ ,' he thought to Gabriel.

' _Alright, Sambourgini! I'll bring food out for everybody when it's ready!_ '

Sam shot his mate a warm pulse of emotion, then looked at Mefusa and Heturi, gesturing them to follow before he looked down at Max. "Come on, time to learn a few things," he spoke.

"Alright, good. Now, Heturi, it's your turn, same thing I told Mefusa," Sam instructed, glancing up as Gabriel approached, carefully balancing three plates. He set one each down in front of the three newly mated angels, with blueberries for Heturi, and strawberries on their pancakes for both Max and Mefusa. There were soft murmurs of thanks, but Heturi was quickly turning his attention to sending emotion down into his grace so he could join the connection currently pulsing between Mefusa and Max.

It was easy to see when Max and Mefusa felt it. Their wings both gave aborted twitches, their gazes seeking Heturi out as they worked to open the connection to him on their end. Seconds later, they were all sinking more solidly into their seats.

"Whoa," Max breathed. To his right, Mefusa nodded. Heturi just looked...some odd mix between stunned and contented.

Sam smiled softly and gave a light chuckle. "Yeah...pretty much," he said, looking up again as Gabriel came back out with plates for the two of them. Sam's had a few fruits on it, as well as granola pieces, and a very light drizzle of pure maple syrup. Gabriel's pancakes looked fairly naked, but Sam was pretty sure that there were chocolate chips in there. Plus, they were absolutely drenched in syrup. Sam couldn't help a small chuckle, but thanked Gabriel and planted a kiss on his cheek as his own plate was set in front of him. Gabriel then took the seat next to him, happily digging into his own pancakes.

They ate in relative silence. Mostly because Sam and Gabriel were allowing the nested triad to process their bond connection and how it worked and what they could do with it. When they all had finished eating, Gabriel silently gathered up the plates and headed back inside, and Sam turned to Max. "Okay, so...now we need to see if you're a Sentinel...or a Guardian," he said.

Max blinked, then nodded slowly. "Right. Okay. So uh...how?" he asked.

Sam looked at Heturi; Mefusa was a Guardian, and Sam didn't think he could summon a regular angel blade anymore. "Heturi, if you would, please bring forth your blade, so Max has an idea of what he's looking for?"

All three of them appeared confused, but none of them said anything as Heturi did as requested, holding it up for Max to see.

"Alright, Max. Now, when I did this...when Dean did it, even when Mefusa did it, we were all trying to call forth a blade that looks like that. But that's not what came to our summons. So...focus on the image of the blade, and pull at your soul. It's not going to know what to make of it at first, but it will eventually bring something forth," Sam instructed.

As Max focused, Gabriel came back out, standing at Sam's shoulder and leaning into him. Sam smiled warmly, leaning back against his mate's side, but kept his gaze on Max.

After a few long moments, Max's right hand twitched a couple of times...and then, there was an angel blade in his hand.

Well...that answered a question that they'd been trying to figure out. And as it turned out, no, no all former humans would be Guardians.

Max looked puzzled for a moment as he held up the blade, looking it over. He glanced at Heturi's, then his own, and he seemed, ultimately, pleased. He seemed to instinctively understand how to vanish it as well, because in the next instant, it was gone. "Cool," he said with a faint grin.

"You wanna talk about cool? You oughta check out the trees you three left behind," Gabriel piped up.

The triad looked up at him, all with varying looks of confusion.

"Trees?" Heturi questioned.

"Plural?" Max spoke up next.

Sam blinked and looked up at Gabriel curiously as well. He'd been exhausted yesterday and hadn't paid attention to the after-effects of their mating bond.

Gabriel felt Sam's confusion and shot him a grin, but then looked at Mefusa's curious gaze, and Heturi's mild look of bewilderment. "I guess you two were too focused on your unconscious mate to notice 'em," he said, then moved away from Sam's side, leading the way around the side of the compound building toward the front. Sam quickly moved to follow, curious, and Max, Mefusa, and Heturi were pretty much beside him in their curiosity as well.

Sam froze as they stepped around the corner, eyes trailing up. The tree--trees, rather, though they were so entangled, they may as well be one, were massive. Easily as tall as his brother and brother-in-law's oak. The triad were stumbling closer, all gazing up in awe as well, and slowly, Sam began to trail after them, looking it over.

One of the twisting trunks bore a hue of red to it, free of lower branches, and Sam was certain it was a Sequoia. The other two twisting trunks did have lower branches, and one was bearing fruit, but not something Sam could identify yet from this distance. The last of the three trees had pink blossoms all over it, much like a cherry tree, but they were draping on limbs not unlike that of a weeping willow.

Max, Mefusa, and Heturi stopped near the base, prevented from getting too much closer without having to climb over some roots protruding from the ground. Gabriel was nearby, standing a bit off to the side as he gazed up at one of the branches from the fruit-bearing trunk, curiously eyeing the fruit there.

Sam stopped just a couple of feet behind the nested triad. "Max...do you recognize these trees?" he tried. Max was a geokinetic, and thus, he had a lot of plant and tree knowledge. When you could grow things like this naturally, it tended to come with the territory.

Max was quiet for a moment, before raising his hand, pointing. "That's a uh...a Sequoia. This one here, with the fruit, that's a Papple Tree...a hybrid creation, bears fruit that tastes like apples, but has the texture of a pear," he explained. He then pointed to the last one. "This one...I think this one is a Yoshino Weeping Cherry Tree? But I don't see any cherries on it," he said, looking it over carefully.

Sam's eyes went back up for a moment, then he pulled out his phone from his pocket, looking up each tree. They all seemed to match, and Sam tilted his head on the last one. "Google's saying that they don't bear fruit every year," he supplied.

Max glanced back at him for a second, then back up at their trees. Another moment passed, and he was looking at Heturi, smile bright and eyes warm. He then looked over at Mefusa, who met his gaze and shared the same expression with him.

Sam watched them for a moment, then looked over at Gabriel, moving over to him. Gently, he took his hand, bringing his mate from his thoughts. With a gesture at the triad, he pulled Gabriel away, leaving them to their peace with their trees.

Inside, there was a clamor of noise, a good many angels gathered near the back of the dining area. Sam frowned, stepping forward more quickly, Gabriel quickly moving to keep up as his curiosity also piqued.

They were all gathered around the communication equipment. The cobalt winged angel was sitting directly in front of it, looking back at Dean.

Dean had a grim expression on his face.

"Dean?" Sam spoke, the angels moving to make a path between them as he approached.

His older brother looked over, lips pressing into a thin line.

"There's three ships approaching. They're refusing to report on their status, and are demanding to know more about what's going on down here. Sammy...they seem to think that the angels already here would be exterminating humans. That they would have begun a colonization attempt," Dean said.

Sam stared for a long moment. He was sure that it would be evident by his net message that that was not the case...but they were clearly expecting it.

Sam shut his eyes for a moment, finding his calm. Gabriel helped immensely with that, sensing Sam's dismay with the situation.

When Sam opened his eyes again, he looked to the cobalt winged angel. "Tell them that if they want information, if they want assistance, they have to provide their own information first. I want the status of every person aboard those vessels," he ordered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins~~~
> 
> If you want to reread the net message, it's at the end of chapter 45~


	77. Chapter 77

" ** _If you want information or assistance, we first require that you provide us with information. Provide the status of your vessels, and your numbers, or we will be forced to cease communications_** ," he cobalt winged Sentinel, Byruvin, spoke into the transmission equipment.

As they waited for a response, Sam moved over and sat down on a nearby chair. Gabriel could feel faint echoes of pain emanating from him, and was sure his back was hurting again. He moved to step up next to Sam's side, leaning against him just the slightest bit, and smiling to himself when he felt Sam lean back against him as well.

Eventually, Max, Mefusa, and Heturi came back inside and came over, getting briefed on the arrival of the three new ships, and took up a post along with the rest of the angels, as they all waited to see if they were going to reply or not.

Some of them wound up trailing off and walking away during the two hours it took before they finally received an answer to Sam's command.

" ** _We are the vessels Hmriti, Jik, and Pliy. Hmriti bears twelve, all in moderate condition. Jik bears nineteen, condition weakening. ...Pliy is down to five, and their condition is...highly destabilized_**."

Dean, having already gotten a large landing zone from Charlie while they'd been waiting, cast a glance at Cassie. His little brother didn't so much as glance at his mate as he nodded, walking over to the communication equipment, beginning to work on translating the coordinates so that their ships would be able to interpret the location.

"Tell them to land there, By, and that three people will be meeting them," Sam spoke, standing. He looked over at Dean, who immediately gave a short nod...and then Sam looked over at Mefusa. Mefusa blinked, but then nodded, seeming to understand pretty immediately; the three of them were Guardians, and as such, they were the best to go forth and meet the new arrivals. Not only would they be best to handle anything thrown at them (even with Sam pregnant), but if they were forced to reveal their true status, that alone would convince many of the angels to fall in line and listen.

As Byruvin relayed the message and Cassie sent on the coordinates, Gabriel looked up at Sam. "Be careful," he spoke softly.

Sam gave him a nod and a warm smile. "We'll be okay," he assured gently, moving from Gabriel's side and over to where Dean and Mefusa were waiting for him. In bare seconds, they vanished, and Gabriel winced as their connection pulled thin and snapped in quick succession.

His eyes went over to Cassie and he moved over slowly. "How're you and Jackie-bear doing?" he asked.

Cassie, bless his grace, tilted his head in confusion. "Jackie is not a bear, nor a cub. ...But we are doing well. Since Dean and I completed our bond, it seems that distance no longer affects it," he said.

Gabriel blinked, half-jealous, half-thoughtful. "Hm. That'll be handy," he murmured quietly. A bare moment later, his brain kicked into gear, and he supposed that Sam had been in such a hurry to meet the new arrivals, he hadn't stopped to consider their needs. He looked up. "Max, Alicia...Cassie and I will help you, if you wouldn't mind cooking something for the newbies, for when they get back?" he spoke.

Alicia blinked. "How many are we expecting?" she asked, and it took a few moments for Gabriel to realize she hadn't understood anything that had come over the communication equipment.

Before he could answer her, however, Max was speaking up. "Thirty-six," he supplied.

Alicia started toward the kitchen, her twin and his remaining mate trailing after, along with Gabriel and Cassie, as she frowned in thought. She opened the fridge, peering inside. It took a few long moments, but she finally nodded. "Alright. Max, start up the grill," she said, starting to pull ingredients from the fridge. Several packages of chicken and a host of ears of corn deposited onto the countertop later, she pulled out the mayo presently in the fridge, then went to the pantry and started hauling things out of there as well. Another jar of mayonnaise, a few bottles of barbecue sauce, and three large bags of potatoes.

Alicia first dumped the chicken into a sanitized sink that she had filled with salted water. She then put Heturi on potato-peeling duty, and Cassie and himself on an odd process of peeling back the husks around the ears of corn and spreading mayonnaise over it. They were then to hand off each ear to her and she would dust it with a few spices she pulled out from the cabinets, before folding the husks back up around the corn and setting them on one of the many baking sheets to go outside to the grill. When Max came back in during this process, he took up a peeler and helped Heturi with the potatoes.

"These gonna be buttered or mashed?" Max asked Alicia as they all worked.

"I was thinking mashed, honestly. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me. Plus, we have that giant mixer to make sure they mash properly," he said.

Gabriel glanced at said mixer. He wasn't so sure it could actually hold all those potatoes. But he'd let the twins figure that out.

It was only after the water for the potatoes had gotten warm that Alicia started pulling the chicken from what she'd called a brine, and started seasoning it as well, before sticking it on yet another baking sheet. She bid Heturi carry the barbecue sauce, and she and Max headed out with the baking sheets of chicken and corn, leaving him and Cassie to watch the not-yet-boiling potatoes.

Gabriel was beginning to worry, and the only reason he wasn't pacing madly was because Cassie appeared calm. With his connection to Dean still open, he would know if there was trouble. Still, he couldn't help but ask, "Any clue what's going on?"

"Dean is highly annoyed," his little brother supplied. "But he has not given me the same emotion he does when he feels there is a threat. He has not passed any thoughts to me as of yet, either," he told Gabriel.

Gabriel frowned, wings twitching in agitation. "Uhg. Just...why aren't they back yet?"

"Likely, Dean, Sam, and Mefusa are communicating to them that there is no ongoing colonization attempt, but rather one of integration. I imagine that Dean's spikes of annoyance are due to resistance of the new arrivals," Cassie replied.

A shot of Gabriel's own annoyance pulsed through him. That was a highly likely scenario, and he wished he was there with Sam to try and help with the situation. Likely, though, he'd only hinder it. He was labeled a traitor, and his face was known, far more than Cassie's, if he was right. Still, he wanted to be at his mate's side, he couldn't help that.

Sam and Dean were the leaders here; there was no denying that. Sefir and Balthazar, as well as the rest of the angels, easily acquiesced to their suggestions, and moreso to any commands or orders they gave. In all honesty, Sam was listened to more than Dean was, but Sam often deferred to Dean when they had a difference of opinion. All the same, whenever Sam pushed for his way, more often than not, Dean would stand down and furthermore, back Sam's play. And so it was that Gabriel was fairly certain Sam was doing the most talking over at the newest landing site, and Dean was standing behind him, keeping an eye on everyone and being ready to jump to back Sam up.

Knowing this eased him a bit. Dean would keep Gabriel's mate, his own little brother, safe.

It made the waiting a little easier...but not much.

The food was not piping hot, but still decently warm, when Sam, Dean, Mefusa, and their new thirty-six guests suddenly appeared. Alicia, Max, Heturi, Gabriel, and Castiel had all taken the time to prepare plates and set them out along three different tables in the dining area.

His bond with Sam reopened quickly, and Gabriel preened to feel Sam's warm appreciation. He stepped forward as Sam quickly came to his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

" ** _Come and eat!_** " Gabriel said with a grin, wanting to get the reactions to him out of the way.

But there was none, because all of the newest angels, a few of which could only be described as emaciated, had locked eyes onto the food as soon as they'd caught the smell. Slowly, they began stepping forward, as though uncertain they were actually being allowed this, or perhaps like they thought it wasn't real at all. Quickly though, the ones that were most gaunt, surged forward, barely dropping into seats before they were digging in hungrily. A couple of them were digging in with only their hands, completely forgoing utensils...but given the state of them, no one said a word about it. They looked awful. When Sam caught sight of it, Gabriel felt a surge of concern out of him.

" ** _Please, try not to eat so quickly. You'll get sick_** ," Sam warned gently.

A few of them stilled completely, but ultimately, they all slowed down, seeing the wisdom in Sam's advice. The other new arrivals had finally made their way to the tables and were beginning to eat as well.

Seeing this, Sam--who was ungodly tense--began to relax just the slightest bit. He then sighed and looked at Gabriel.

"Can you gather up everyone for me, please? ...We need to have a bit of a meeting," he said.

That sparked all sorts of worry, but with little more than a quick peck to Sam's lips, Gabriel went to go drag the stragglers to the living room.

When the thirty-three residents of the compound gathered in the living room, Sam and Dean were standing side by side close to the wall the TV hung on. The thirty-six new arrivals were still eating at the tables, but this conversation was in English anyway, and they didn't look to be paying attention.

Sam was quiet for a moment as he looked around the circle gathered. Gabriel stood off to his side somewhat, feeling the serious, heavy emotions rolling about in his mate. He was curious, and offered what comfort he could, just a gentle reminder that he was there, and he felt Sam's appreciation in return.

"Let's start with the immediate concern. I've done the math, and with Adam and Rowena being left a room each of their own open, we're three rooms short with all of us living here," he spoke.

There was silence for a long moment, and then it was Samandriel who spoke up. "Adam can rest in our room," he said. Next to him, Armaya was staring down, her face flushed red, and next to her, Balthazar was giving a short nod of agreement.

Sam eyed them for a moment, but he looked uncertain. After another moment, he shook his head. "That will be his decision to make. We're fortunate that he'll be in tomorrow, and can make that decision then, but until we know...we're three rooms short. Charlie is working on another compound--she has been for a couple of months now, but it's not ready, and..." Sam began, frowning a bit as he trailed off. He let out a sigh before he continued, "And when it's done, Dean, Cas, Gabriel, and I will have to move on with the newer arrivals, to help them adjust to life here," he spoke.

Wings rose in shock, and there was more than one stunned expression flitting around...but surprisingly, no one voiced any protest. They likely understood the logic. All the same, Sam continued. "You will still have Mefusa here, as a Guardian to help you. And Max and Alicia as well, to help you acclimate to Earth culture as time continues on," he assured them all. And slowly, wings began to lower as well, as the surprise faded and acceptance settled in.

Sam looked down for a moment, then squared his shoulders and looked up. "But there's more. Much more," he said, glancing in the direction of the dining room. He licked his lips and looked back to the group, meeting a few pairs of eyes as he continued on. "The council and surviving angels' vessels will be arriving within the next three weeks. The crews of the **_Hmriti_** , **_Jik_** , and **_Pliy_ **reported that there was twenty-two vessels in all at last count."

This news was met with noises of confusion, shock, and something like despair from all of them, Gabriel included. It was Armaya who managed to speak something that was more than just formless, half-abandoned words. "Why so few? There should be hundreds," she asked, tone even but filled with concern.

"That's part of the more," Sam said with a weak smile. He looked around again, but then his gaze fell to the coffee table as he began to speak again. "In seeking out a new world to live on, one of the vessels sent out encountered a wormhole. ...They went through it, under orders of the council. Their last transmission back was something vague about hostiles...and then a bunch of screams before it ended. This is all hearsay, guys, but the reality of it is enough. Something came out of that wormhole and started attacking all the nearby galaxies and inhabited planets. It was so fast that most of the planets weren't able to evacuate, and the few that did, didn't last long. And, of course, the angels were largely living in space at that point. While it allowed them maneuverability to make an escape, it wasn't enough to save them all. ...Many angels, and even several other entire species, were killed." Sam looked up, pulsing with sadness. "...If you had family...I'm sorry, but there's a strong likelihood, they're gone," he spoke.

Jivi suddenly let out a sob before his hand clapped over his mouth. A surge of grief on their history-keeper's behalf pulsed back and forth between Sam and Gabriel.

"These hostiles...are they following our people?" Armaya spoke up, her voice barely carrying under the weight of the revelation Sam had given them.

"We don't know," Dean spoke up. This time, it was him looking around the group. "But not a single one of us, angel, human, hero, villain...we're not going down without a fight," he spoke firmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...~~~!


	78. Chapter 78

Despite Dean's declaration, the air was thick with the grief from the diminished numbers of their species. Gabriel was not immune or excluded from that emotion, either. But he pulled away from it, anyway.

"Alright, we've got three weeks to prepare for at least three-to-four hundred survivors. ...And we're presently three rooms short in this building. So, we need to figure out some bunking arrangements. And Dean-o, I'd suggest letting Charlie in on what's going on. We're going to need a place to put those other survivors once they show," he prompted.

Dean blinked, unused to Gabriel taking the reins, but he gave a short nod after a scant few seconds, heading off to contact their red-headed technopath friend.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on this new hostile that could be headed our way?" another angel from Lurbardr spoke up.

"No," Armaya interceded, before Gabriel or Sam could. "We need to focus on the newest arrivals, and the incoming survivors right now. At least until we have some plans laid out there. Then we can worry about the danger of this threat. And that's for two reasons. The first is that we can't scurry about focusing on something that may not even be coming, and the second is that if it is coming, then with any luck, it'll be a good amount of time behind the last of our people."

"Armaya's right," Sam cut in before any more protest could be voiced. "So...back to the subject at hand; bunking up. We just need three volunteers to bunk down with someone else willing to host them, so we have enough rooms."

"If it's alright with Meraya, I can room with her," Mikiye spoke up. There was a faint surprise from Sam at that, and his eyes scanned from Mikiye over to Meraya.

For her part, Meraya just beamed and nodded her approval. "Alright," Sam said, looking back to Mikiye, a grateful appreciation in his eyes. "Thank you, Mikiye. Anyone else, maybe?"

There was silence for a long few moments, and then it was Byruvin speaking up. "If Jivi would welcome the company, I could bunk with him," he spoke, eyes not on Sam, but the history-keeper in question.

Jivi blinked, looking up at him and staring for a long few seconds before his gaze cut to Sam. There was suddenly a faint flush on his cheeks as he spoke a quiet, "That would be fine." He still looked shaken and in grief, but he was no longer crying, at least.

Sam nodded, then looked towards the newcomers. "I'll see about getting one of them to bunk with someone else for the last room, then. Thank you, all. And please, do your best with them. They're...much more standoffish than all of you were upon your arriving," he said.

That had Heturi frowning and glancing over his shoulder. Mefusa and Max's eyes found him at whatever they were feeling from their mate, and then their eyes met in some sort of silent agreement before they both moved closer to Heturi, their wings moving to mesh with his. At the action, Max shuddered slightly, and that had Gabriel looking away to mind his own business.

The group started to separate with Sam's apparent dismissal, most of them heading to speak with the new arrivals, to try and make them feel welcomed. With that, Gabriel moved towards Sam, pressing into his side gently. His mate automatically wrapped an arm around his shoulders, but was still staring in the direction of their new housemates. With a small prod at their connection, Gabriel began to receive flashes of Sam's interaction with them thus far.

_The ships had all landed, one at a time and in quick succession in the large, open field. But it wasn't until all had landed that all three opened up as though on the same command. When they did, angels came rushing out, wings high and aggressive, blades at the ready, despite how malnourished they largely were._

_Beside Sam, he heard the rustle of feathers as his brother's wings spread far and high in the most intimidating display he could muster. Sam, however, kept his in a neutral position. A quick glance at Mefusa revealed that his feathers were ruffled in agitation, but he was following Sam's lead, it seemed._

_He looked back to the angels ahead of them, watching as they formed a semi-circle before the three Guardians, taking up defensive positions._

_" **Please, we're here to welcome you, to help you. Not fight** ," Sam spoke._

_" **You expect us to believe that? When you nearly dismissed us altogether?!** " A deep-purple winged female Nester demanded of him, near the middle of the group._

_" **That's impossible! You actually expect us to believe that you originated of this planet?! Preposterous!** "_

_" **Not just him** ," Dean spoke up from his side with a somewhat malevolent grin. " **Me, too. Sammy here's my brother** ," he chimed in._

_" **It is well and true** ," Mefusa spoke from his other side. " **I have been witness to much in my time here**."_

_" **Ridiculous** ," a different angel scoffed._

_Sam lifted his hand, manifesting his sword and shocking the angels into silence. " **As I understand it, Guardians often make the impossible be merely improbable** ," he said._

_The group had neared, and nearly all angel blades were now vanished away._

_" **So, humans, you called them? They are...divided?** " a Sentinel with soft green wings asked._

_" **Yes, very much so. The most prominent threat is the humans referred to as villains. If anyone approaches you with a sinister look upon them, it's highly likely they are a villain, and you need to defend yourself** ," Sam spoke. " **They're part of the reason we put up the net; one of the ships that arrived...they got to it first. There were only two survivors** ," he told them, regret clear in his tone._

_Sam grimaced at the news that the beacon had indeed been heard, but he nodded. " **Do you have any idea how many more we should be expecting, then?** " he asked._

_His question had a number of wings shifting in unease, discomfort, and melancholy._

_" **At last count, there were twenty-two ships, including the councils' vessel** ," the same purple winged Nester from before spoke quietly, now seated on the ground, as most of them were._

_Sam blinked, certain there should be more than that. His suspicion was confirmed by Mefusa's sharp inhale before he let out a soft, " **What has happened?** "_

_The Nester in question looked vaguely uncertain as she spoke. " **There is a new danger, one that is systematically wiping out all life before it**."_

_One of the most gaunt angels, that were most obviously of the five from the **Pliy** , spoke up next. " **When we left Nilka**... **when we left our home, the council issued orders for several vessels to depart in different directions** ," he began, his eyes on Sam. " **My brother, my twin, he...was aboard the vessel that found a wormhole. The council was desperate enough to issue the order for them to traverse, and so they did. Kite's last transmission to me was him saying there was something bad there, a hostile with strength and invulnerability that we'd never seen before. There were screams in the background as...as he...** " the angel trailed off, looking completely devastated. " **He told me goodbye** ," he finished after a few seconds, sniffing a bit._

_Sam managed to lead them off that topic, and back to their present. " **We have shelter, and we have food. But before we take you all back, I need your agreement that you will not attack those who do not seek to harm you. Dean, myself, our friends here on Earth, the angels already here...we're all working to integrate our race in with the humans, to acclimate the angels to human culture, to prepare humans for the arrival of more angels and what that may entail. You will encounter humans that shout angry words at you, that throw things at you like food or drink...but unless they are hurting you, please...don't attack them** ," he spoke._

_The angels were silent, some raising wings in protest. It was the purple winged Nester that spoke up again. " **We are expected to suffer humiliation? To be covered in substances unknown to us without retaliating?** " she demanded, though her tone was mostly even. She was speaking up on behalf of all of them, not just herself._

_" **I'm sorry. Truly, I am, but...yes** ," Sam spoke. " **Please understand that while humans can be exceedingly kind and loving, they can also be extremely cruel and hateful. You will encounter that from those that are resistant to your presence. You...** " Sam started, his hand coming up to his stomach as he tensed his jaw and wings, looking away from all of them. " **You may even wind up being assaulted in such a manner because of your status. ...There is much you have to learn** ," he continued, looking back at them. " **Much that needs to be explained. But Dean and I, we'll help you all through it. We'll help you acclimate, and integrate. But I need your promise, your word, that you will not harm those that have not caused you physical harm**."_

_Slowly, one by one, each angel gave their word, but every last one of them was hesitant, and Sam had doubts._

Gabriel reached up, touching Sam's tummy. He knew what Sam had been thinking of, in that last memory flash.

Less than a month before, he and Dean had been out with a couple of other angels getting groceries, when Sam had been assaulted by one of the bakery workers, calling him all manner of disgusting things and throwing desserts at him. Because he was a pregnant male, and she believed it went against nature. Dean had nearly laid the woman out, but managed to keep from outright assaulting her, thanks to Sam keeping a level head and calling out to him. The other two angels, ones that Gabriel didn't know all that well from the Lurbardr, had moved into place in front of Sam, their wings spreading in defense until the woman was pulled away by coworkers and management. Despite the mess that'd been made of his hair, clothes, and wings, Sam had insisted they finish shopping before bringing them all home. Dean had fumed the entire time he was putting things away, and Sam had morosely gone to clean up and change. Sensing he wouldn't get much out of his mate, Gabriel had managed, after ten minutes of nagging, to drag the story out of Dean and the angels that had accompanied him. It was a good thing he hadn't been with them, or he was pretty sure he'd have murdered the woman for daring to do that to his mate and unborn children.

Gabriel looked up at Sam. "We'll all be alright, Samshine. With them, with the ones coming...and facing whatever hell may be following after them. Somehow, we'll...we'll be alright," Gabriel spoke, sounding only a bit more confident than he felt. And he did actually feel a good bit confident. Mostly because of Sam. Sam had given him so much hope, where he hadn't really had it in so very long. Long before he'd even found out about his homeworld's core cooling.

Sam looked down at Gabriel, and the golden angel could feel Sam's unease and doubt, his worry and concern. Gabriel smiled softly, knowing that all of that was exactly why they would be okay. Sam confidence wasn't needed, even if he'd like for him to feel that way. But Sam feeling this way? Sam feeling this way meant that he would be cautious, and as prepared as he could manage. As any of them with all their combined resources, could manage. He shared those thoughts and feelings with Sam now, so he understood why Gabriel felt as he did. Slowly, Sam smiled back down at him. He still didn't become confident, but he did become more at ease, and the worry and concern faded for the moment, replaced with love and contentedness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little/kinda on the short side? I'm sleepy and thirsty as hell, so I called it good enough (and I kinda liked where I was for an end point) u.u


	79. Chapter 79

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am alive.....  
> And so very sorry.  
> So, first off, it looks like I've started to sleep the weekends away. I barely manage to get myself up long enough to do laundry.... I am so lazy u.u  
> So, from now on, updates will only be on weekdays.  
> And, I'm sorry about yesterday. One of my coworkers is off this week, and yesterday was exceedingly busy (uhg).  
> I love you all. Please forgive me u.u
> 
> Enjoy the chappie!

The angels of the **_Hmriti_** , **_Jik_** , and **_Pliy_ **had eaten, and Max, Alicia, Heturi, and Mefusa had taken up on doing the dishes while Sam and Gabriel paired up, along with Dean and Cas, and Armaya, Balthazar, and Samandriel. The three sets of them took groups of the new angels and went about to help them settle into rooms. By the time they were done, it was past time for lunch. However, they were fortunate in that Alicia and Glips were working together to make lunch. Glips had become one of the better cooks in the compound following many cooking lessons over the past few months.

No sooner had Dean and Cas reemerged from helping angels settle than Cas halted with a sharp intake of air. Gabriel and Sam weren't far away, and they both caught the sound of a small splash of water. Dean had spun around and was lifting Cas into his arms, wings fluffed in agitation. "Get Nariel!" he was calling over his shoulder, moving toward the elevator.

It was Gabriel that moved to seek out the grace-healer, and Sam dashed over, hitting the button for the elevator, glancing at Cas. Castiel's eyes met his, giving silent permission, and Sam raised his hands, pulling forth his energy.

It didn't feel like the false labors that Cas had been through before. Those had felt...off, but not wrong. This, though? This felt natural, like it was supposed to be happening. Sam looked at Cas, giving a faint, warm smile, then at Dean. "Pretty sure you're going to be holding your child soon," he told the two of them, just as the elevator doors opened.

Dean looked intensely anxious, but Cas looked surprisingly calm. Sam nudged his brother onto the elevator, telling them he'd be teleporting up with Gabriel and Nariel shortly. He then turned to wait on his mate, and within a mere two minutes, Gabriel and Nariel were rushing past the living room and toward the elevator, where Sam was waiting. Sam smiled at his golden angel, reaching out for his hand. He then looked to Nariel, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Pretty sure it's the real deal this time," he told them, before porting them up into the medical station. Cas and Dean were already there, and Cas was laid out on a bed, expression strained. He was evidently riding out a contraction.

As Nariel worked to prepare and monitor Cas, Sam moved to his brother-in-law's side, near his legs. Dean was standing directly beside him, holding his hand, worried gaze locked onto his mate. Seeking to distract Cas and help him to keep his mind off any pain, Sam decided on broaching a topic that he'd not yet discussed with anyone, knowing that Cas would have the information as a scientist. "So how exactly do we give birth, Cas? I mean, I know how a human female would, or a female angel, for that matter...but how does a male angel do it?"

Cas blinked a few times, looking at Sam. He appeared to be gathering together his thoughts under the onslaught of the pain he was in. Finally, he began to answer. "The males of our species, the ones that are able to birth children...they have a passage that opens when either sexually stimulated, or during the birth process. It is this passage that allows them to become impregnated, and also to..." he began, but he halted, grimacing tightly under another contraction.

Sam frowned. They were pretty close together. He had a feeling that Cas' labor wouldn't last as long as Loma's had.

With a faint grunt, Cas' eyes found Sam's once again, and he continued. "Also to give birth. It leads into the upper area that is similar to a woman's cervix, and further, to the womb," he said, frowning as he leaned back.

Sam was a bit unnerved to think about it; sure, he was pregnant, and very used to the idea. But actually thinking about the fact that he had a womb and something that compared to a woman's cervix? That was something else entirely.

Gabriel moved up behind Sam, his hand landing on Cas' poor swollen ankle. "You're gonna be meeting little Jackie soon, Cassie," his mate spoke softly. Sam glanced back at him, smiling warmly at the love and pride that Gabriel was feeling for his little brother.

"This is quite uncomfortable," Castiel complained.

Sam looked back at him, then over at Nariel, who was still trying to prep things. Shit, they didn't think to grab Mikiye.

But think of the devil, and who should but appear? Mikiye strolled in barely a second later, before Sam could try to teleport back down and seek her out, huffing as she strode over toward Nariel. She shot Sam a sour look. "You couldn't alert me or anything?" she huffed.

Sam gave a genuinely apologetic smile. "Sorry, Mikiye. Just used to it being Nariel," he admitted.

The lemon winged angel rolled her eyes, but moved to help the other grace-healer.

It was bare minutes later when they actually moved to Cas and started to work on getting him mostly undressed. Gabriel and Sam both averted their eyes as much as possible, but they didn't leave. Nariel finally administered something for the pain for Cas a few minutes beyond that, before getting up close and intimate with the galaxy winged angel's nethers.

"Looks like he wants out, Castiel," Nariel spoke, glancing up. "You're almost fully dilated here."

Cas was gritting his teeth under another contraction. "A quick delivery would be quite desired," his brother-in-law ground out.

Dean bent down, pressing his forehead to Cas', murmuring to him softly. Sam caught a few of the words; beautiful, gorgeous, love you, doing good.... He couldn't help but smile affectionately. His brother wasn't really one to be very expressive around others, but he was definitely making an effort for his mate.

Barely half an hour, a cry was echoing around the room, barely a minute after Castiel had given the last push. The parents both had their eyes locked on their newborn as Nariel and Mikiye took to cleaning Jackie up and wrapping the baby in the softest blanket they had in the medical station. As Nariel approached with the fledgling, Cas' hand left Dean's, and he was reaching out for the babe. He had a head full of soft brown-blonde hair and was crying as Cas worked to soothe their child's exposure to the world.

Sam, smiling, looked up to see his brother watching with tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He gentled his smile and reached up, clasping Dean's shoulder. "He's gorgeous, Dean," he told his brother softly.

Dean looked back at Sam, giving a wavy, watery smile, before looking back down at Cas. After a moment, Cas blinked, looking up at Dean with a small frown. They were obviously communicating through their bond, and after a moment, Dean just shook his head, leaning down to first press a kiss to Cas' forehead, then moving to place a careful, cautious kiss on the forehead of their child.

The afterbirth passed, and Nariel worked on getting Cas comfortable. Castiel glanced over at Sam and Gabriel, tilting his head. "It has become my understanding from television that there is some...debate regarding breastfeeding a child. ...Particularly in public," he spoke with a raised eyebrow.

Sam blinked, tilting his head. He hadn't even considered that and frowned, looking down at Cas' chest. "Wait...we can...breast feed?"

Gabriel let out a snort from behind him and Sam cast him his most unamused expression.

"...Yeah, kiddo, we can breast feed. 'Round about a month before birth, our chests will swell, just a bit. Male mammary glands are more compact than that of a woman, but it does the job. And Cassie, screw the human culture right now. Just feed him, he's fussy and hungry," Gabriel said with a faint pout.

Needing little more encouragement, Cas shrugged out of his shirt with Dean's help, carefully keeping Jackie nestled in one arm, before managing to feed him. It was amazing the way the child's instincts had him immediately latching on; Sam was pretty sure Lisa had had a time getting Ben to figure it out for a while.

It wasn't much later that Gabe and Sam headed back down. There was still some food left out from lunch, so they fixed themselves something to eat. By the time they had finished, though, Sam froze at the sensation he felt.

Or should he say, sensations?

The heroes had become accustomed to feeling the presence of a villain roughly every other day, because of Rowena. But what Sam felt right now was not one, but two villains. He gulped the last bite of his food down, barely chewed, and stood swiftly, making for the door.

"Sam?" Gabe's voice came from behind him.

' _Villains, Gabe. There's at least two out there_ ,' he sent back to his mate.

By the time he reached the living room, Max was flanking his left side and Alicia was coming up on his right.

Before they reached the door, however, it opened, and Rowena stepped in, much as she had taken to over the past few months. That brought Sam up short, making him frown in confusion. ...Did that mean Rowena had brought another villain along? But why would she do that?

The Witch's eyes landed on the two former humans and the heroine, lighting up a bit as she spotted them. "Ah, Samuel, Maxwell, Alicia! I do hope you don't mind. I've brought along a guest!" she announced cheerfully as she stepped in.

Barely three steps behind her was a man with dark hair and brown eyes. He was in what was obviously a tailored suit, complete with a crimson tie. He had a look of boredom on his face, but his eyes were darting around, taking in all that he could see with evident keen interest. "Really, Mother, you are being dramatic again," he spoke in a dull tone. Where Scottish Witch had a, well...Scottish accent, her son had an English accent.

Sam was beyond bewildered, but relaxed minutely as he registered that the second villain presence was from the man in question.

Still...Sam didn't recognize him, not in the slightest. And he had a villain's signature. While Sam had a faint bit of trust in Rowena...he definitely did not feel that toward her son.

So, he stepped forward toward him, smiling in greeting as their eyes met, and extending his hand. "Sam Winchester," he offered.

The man regarded him silently for a moment before finally reaching out and taking his hand, giving a firm shake. "Crowley MacLeod, though most simply call me King," he said with a smirk.

Sam swallowed. He couldn't help it. But other than that, he gave no reaction as their hands drew back, ending the greeting.

King was...definitely a villain, that was for sure. Sam wasn't sure why Rowena had thought it was okay to bring him here. But right now? Right now, Sam needed to make sure they didn't make an enemy out of him.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Max swore from behind him.

Sam winced, wings tensing as he looked back at Max, giving him a short shake of his head, silently begging him not to blow this. Unfortunately, he could already see that he wasn't getting through to the Sentinel; Max's wings were high in aggression, and his eyes were locked on Crowley.

Amazingly, however, Heturi slipped over from the living area, and whatever was going through the connection between them had Max drawing his attention to the Nester, a faint frown crossing his face.

"That is quite curious," Crowley spoke after a long moment. Sam turned back to him, and their eyes met yet again. "But tell me, Moose, am I to stand here all day, or will you actually invite me in?" he challenged.

Moose? Really? "I might, if you can can-it with the tall jokes," he said, glancing over as Gabriel approached. He wasn't so sure he wanted his visibly pregnant mate near such a dangerous villain.

"Mmm, then I suppose I ought to leave," King sassed, before stepping further in. Sam glanced back at him and tried not to posture with his wings. He was too close to Gabriel for comfort.

' _Who is this dickbag?_ ' Gabriel questioned, looking to be sizing the villain up.

' _Oh, God, please don't say something like that aloud. ...The smarmy bastard's one of the most influential villains around. Powerful in his own right, but in control of far more powerful forces than himself, too. About seventy percent of the villains in the world answer to him_ ,' Sam shot back. At the same time, he offered an amused huff to the human entering their home.

"Sam?" Dean's voice came from behind him, and Sam blinked, glancing over his shoulder. His brother was approaching from where he'd exited the elevator, eyes glancing at Rowena, then landing on Crowley. They narrowed in suspicion, and Sam swallowed tightly.

"Dean, meet Rowena's son, Crowley," he introduced.

Dean halted near Sam's side, then gave a short nod to Crowley, gaze still full of suspicion.

"Mm, if you're a moose, that'd only make it right to call your brother Squirrel," Crowley intoned.

Dean tensed, raising an eyebrow. "What, does that make you Boris, then?"

Crowley grinned darkly. "Something like that."

Gabriel's gaze was darting around. "...Since Cassie isn't present, I'm going to do my best impersonation of him and just say that...'I don't understand that reference.'"

At that, Dean's lips twitched with the beginnings of a smile, but it quickly vanished.

Sam elbowed his brother, trying to get him to quit being so hostile. "Old cartoon, I'll dig it up off the internet for you sometime," Sam shot to Gabriel, then looked back at Crowley. Knowing his brother was probably about to flip his shit, Sam spoke up anyway. "So King, how can we help you?" he said.

Dean's eyes went wide, his head whipping around to stare at Sam, wings jerking up in shock. Sam paid him no heed.

"Mm, you can't help me. But I may be of some assistance to you lot," the villain spoke, eyes scanning around the room once again. "My sources inform me that your new race is in need of room...that this building is filled to bursting, and there's more angels to arrive within the next few weeks. I am aware another building is to come available shortly...but that there isn't time to make room for the ones yet here," he spoke.

Sam was unable to keep his feathers from fluffing. How King knew all this, when the most recent angels had only just arrived this morning, he had no clue. The most rational line of thought was that Rowena had planted a bug or two about the compound, but Sam somehow doubted it. Despite the fact that his brother and mate were making aggressive displays at his sides, Sam gave a short nod of confirmation, managing to keep from slipping to aggression himself.

"Yes. By our estimation, there should be a maximum of four hundred angels inbound, and it's likely they will be malnourished upon arrival," Sam spoke quietly. His unease came through in his tone, but he kept it from his posture as much as possible; the fluffing of his feathers was the only real tell.

Crowley made a hum, considering. "I have a few properties that I believe I may be able to have renovated in a timely manner. ...But a great deal of them are overseas. How far can that little teleportation trick of yours take you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in curious consideration.

Sam blinked. ...The villain was offering to give shelter to the new angels? It took all Sam had not to gaze at him with suspicion. Instead, he swallowed it down, giving a small shrug. "Honestly, I don't know. I haven't hit a limit with it yet," he answered evenly.

It was then that Rowena piped up. "Fergus may be the King of villains, pet, but he's really a big old softy," she spoke in an amused tone.

The villain tensed, turning a heated glare onto his mother. "Mother, I've told you not to call me by that name!" he hissed.

The Witch huffed, rolling her eyes. "I don't see how Crowley is so much better!" she huffed.

Sam's lips twitched and he glanced back at Crowley. He considered for a moment, then looked back at Rowena. "A name is just that, a name. It's who the person is, that's important. But it's also important to respect that person, particularly if you love them. Rowena, if he's chosen to name himself Crowley, then it's only right to respect him, as his mother, and use his name," he told her gently.

The woman blinked a few times, then out-and-out pouted. "Why must ye have such a point, Samuel?" she huffed.

"I've also told you to call me Sam," he pointed out.

She pouted all the more, muttering about, "My wee Fergus," but that was all she said.

When Sam looked back at Crowley, the man was eyeing him, as though trying to figure out what his game was. Sam met his gaze openly and just gave a faint smile. No game here; this was just who Sam was.

In seeing this, Crowley huffed and glanced away as though bored. "Yes, well, I will have my people see about fixing up those properties, and soon," he said.

Dean, though quiet at his side, seemed to have relaxed just a bit. Gabriel had done the same, and was peering at Crowley in open curiosity.

Sam considered for several long seconds, then gave a short nod to himself, making a decision. If he was honest, he didn't feel right making this decision on his own; he wanted to consult Dean about it, and Gabriel. And while he could easily reach out to Gabriel and do so right now, he knew his mate well enough to know he'd encourage Sam to go ahead. And so Sam did.

"So...you know about the angels that are coming...somehow," Sam began, drawing the attention of King back to himself. "But I hate to tell you, that's not all that may be inbound."


	80. Chapter 80

Sam had been uneasy and bordering on anxious since before Rowena had entered the compound. Once he'd heard Crowley's name, his title as a villain, though? He'd been bordering on fear. Gabriel didn't like it, not one bit. And though Sam had calmed the more he talked to the King of villains, he was still highly anxious.

It wasn't good for the triplets.

Sam had gestured to the presently unoccupied reading area, following his statement to Crowley.

Crowley took up a sofa chair, and his mother perched on the arm beside him. Dean and Sam sat in the middle of the sofa, with Gabriel fitting in to Sam's left. Max sat in another sofa chair, Heturi perching much like Rowena had on the chair arm. Within seconds, Mefusa was there, standing beside them also. Alicia took up a stance near her twin and brother-in-laws.

Gabriel was not surprised, either, to look back and see Armaya, Balthazar, and Samandriel standing behind the sofa, watching Rowena and Crowley. Armaya kept herself in the know, and it made sense that her soon-to-be mates would do the same, keeping them on even footing with her.

Sam glanced back a bare second later, spotting the nest behind them, then looked back to Crowley. "Before I launch into further detail, I'll get introductions out of the way. It's likely to be all of us you interact with the most, out of everyone here," Sam began. "As you know, I'm Sam. This is my brother Dean, and this is Gabriel. You probably already know all of that from the interview, which would mean you already know Armaya as well. This is Balthazar and Samandriel standing with her," Sam said, turning slightly as he gestured. He then twisted back into a normal posture, gesturing over to Max. "This is Max Banes, and his mates Heturi, and Mefusa. And this is Mea--"

"Alicia, Max's twin," Alicia cut in with a sly smile and a shrug. "You gave your name, not fair if I stick to my hero alias, now is it?" she explained with a smirk.

Sam huffed a soft laugh. Across from them at an angle, Max was frowning worriedly at his sister, but he didn't speak a protest.

"And for those not present when he entered, then is Crowley MacLeod. Much like his Rowena, his mother, he is a villain," Sam said plainly.

Gabriel was turned, sitting at an odd angle, and saw Armaya tilt her head at that information, though she didn't say anything. Balthazar, however, did. "What? How can he be her son? They look to be the same age!"

Rowena tittered, batting her eyelashes at the Sentinel. "You great flatterer!" she flirted.

That had Armaya and Samandriel's wings fluffing in agitation, and Gabriel huffed a faint laugh at that.

Sam turned slightly, glancing at Balthazar. "I don't know the specifics, but Rowena is much older than she appears to be. All I can tell you is that she would've been born after 1945, as heroes and villains didn't begin to emerge until after then," he explained.

Balthazar cast her a curious glance, at that, but said nothing further.

"If we're all done with the pleasantries...I'd very much like to know what you were alluding to earlier, Moose," Crowley spoke.

Sam resumed a more relaxed position and gave a small nod. "Three ships arrived this morning, I'm sure you're aware. ...The angels that came off those vessels told us about something new they encountered while they were seeking out a new place to live, before our beacon was heard. A new race, a new species, that they hadn't run into previously," Sam spoke, pausing for a bare second, his wings shifting in discomfort before he forced himself to first meet Rowena's eyes, and then Crowley's. "It followed them, and began to systematically destroy any life in its path. Where there should've been hundreds of ships of surviving angels, there's barely more than twenty remaining vessels now. ...We're not sure if they're going to be able to track and follow the angels here. We're hoping that we'll have a good amount of time, if they do. A few months, if we're lucky," he said, glancing over at Gabriel's swollen tummy, then up to his eyes.

It took a second for Gabriel to read the emotion from Sam, as well as the expression. He startled, his wings jerking behind him and feathers rucking high. Sam intended to fight. He intended to fight whatever was coming, should it show, even if he was still pregnant when it came. They both had, at the very least, four and a half months in their respective pregnancies. ...It was far too much to hope that this threat wouldn't show until after they'd both managed to birth their fledglings.

But even more upsetting than that, was that Sam didn't want Gabriel fighting. Gabriel could see and feel it. He wanted his mate to stay safely ensconced wherever they were to be living at the time. And not just if they hadn't given birth, but also if they had.

"Sam," Gabriel began.

But Sam shook his head, trying to cut off the impending argument for the moment.

So Gabriel was relieved when Dean glanced over. Gabriel met his stare over Sam's shoulder, then pointedly looked at his Guardian's tummy, and back up at Dean.

"...Sammy, you are not fighting while you're still pregnant," Dean spoke, catching on and staring hard at Sam as the angel in question turned a furious glare on Dean.

"The hell I'm not! Dean, with the exception of my wings, I can still harden my cells against attack! I can teleport, I have a freaking fiery sword with flame that bends to my will, not to mention, I'm one of the best damned healers on the planet, and you know it! You're not benching me!" he exclaimed.

Dean raised his eyebrows in challenge. "Oh, yes. I am," he said plainly.

Sam's wings, mostly trapped behind them, started to twitch and fluff, trying to assume an aggressive posture.

"Dean--"

"Sam."

Gabriel blinked, feeling the rebellion flaring in his mate. He leaned forward, gently touching Sam's arm and pushing as many soothing emotions forth as he could.

"Samshine, we don't know what sort of weapons this new race has. If they have something as strong as an angel's blade. And yes, you're amazing when it comes to healing, but you don't have infinite energy. ...All it would take is a lucky strike at the right time, and...Sammy, I'd lose you," Gabriel spoke. Sam had slowly turned back to him, the fire and fight fading as Gabriel's emotions slipped from soothing to devastation. "I'd lose my everything," Gabriel finished quietly, trying to keep the heat in his eyes from spilling over.

Sam let out a short sigh, his wings slumping in acquiescence and defeat.

"I believe I've contracted diabetes," came from the sofa chair angled toward them, opposite from Max.

"Oh, Fe...Crowley, do hush!" Rowena spoke, smacking her son's arm lightly. "They're all sentimental around here. If ye can't deal with it, I will simply cease to bring ye!"

Gabriel, sight still a bit blurry, turned and was able to make out Crowley rolling his eyes. "Well. We have a great danger that's going to be riding in on the coattails of the incoming angels. Anything else I should know?" the villain prompted.

Sam was already looking at him and gave a small shrug. "Not all angels can be trusted? Especially not the newest ones, or the ones incoming. They want this planet for their own. I have the word of the newest arrivals that they won't harm those that don't harm them, but I've yet to have enough time to actually trust them, or their word. ...So, the new arrivals are still being vetted, really, and when the others arrive, they'll have to be talked down, too," he explained.

Crowley let out a faint hum, thoughtful for a moment. He then gave Sam a scrupulous gaze. "And? Anything else you think you may want to tell me? Anything at all?" he ventured.

Sam blinked a few times, digging through his own mind. When he remained silent for roughly two minutes, Crowley huffed and rolled his eyes yet again.

"I know about your little parlor tricks with the angels, Sam," he spoke in a serious tone, his eyes glancing over to Mefusa, and then back to Gabriel's mate. Sam had tensed beside him. "I know you're able to contain their grace, and manipulate it...make them like yourself and your brother," Crowley continued. "And I must say, I have a few questions."

Sam swallowed, and Gabriel stared with narrowed eyes. How did this human know these things?

Dean was glaring, wings raised aggressively. A quick glance around the area confirmed that all the angels present for this little pow-wow had aggressive stances...even the usually level-headed Armaya.

Sam's wings were twitching against the back of the sofa, but he spoke in a calm voice despite his peaking anxiety. "I'll answer what I can. What would you like to ask?"

"Firstly...have you attempted to use your little binding trick on a human yet?" Crowley asked.

Sam blinked a couple of times. "I...hadn't even considered trying," his mate admitted softly.

Crowley let out another hum, his eyes moving over to Alicia. "Would you care to volunteer, dear?" he spoke with a tone that was slick as oil.

Max's wings shot high in aggression, nearly knocking Heturi from the sofa chair arm. "If you want to know so bad, volunteer yourself!" he growled viciously.

No sooner had Crowley turned a narrow-eyed stare on him, than Alicia was stepping forward. "It's fine, Max," she said. When her twin turned a shocked, disbelieving stare on her, she chuckled. "Crowley and Rowena are both villains, and there's no other humans here. They're not going to trust Sam to potentially put the kibosh on their power, and then release it. That's why he asked me. I know Sam, I trust Sam, and Sam is my friend. He wouldn't do that to me, wouldn't leave me without access to my energy. It makes sense, and you're not going to be pig-headed about it...got it?" she spoke, already walking toward Sam.

Crowley was eyeing her appreciatively. "My, my...someone with intelligence. How exquisite," he spoke quietly.

Alicia paused, glancing at him. At the angle she was standing at, Gabriel could barely making out the expression she made, but she looked to be raising a single eyebrow in challenge. She turned shortly, facing Sam, and held out her hand to him. "Give it a shot, Sam. Let's see if you can do it," she invited.

Sam was staring up at her in concern, hesitant. But, slowly, he reached out and took her hand.

Gabriel knew the result of his attempt, could feel it from Sam. All the same, Sam pulled his hand away, giving a small gesture to Alicia. In response, she pulled her hands up in front of her, appearing to try and summon forth her energy.

"Well...looks like it worked," she said, looking around the room.

No sooner than she had confirmed it aloud than Sam reached out, gently grabbing her arm and releasing the bind.

In his seat, Max was frowning a bit, looking uneasy. Gabriel couldn't wholly blame him for it, either; the former human had expressed his unease with Sam's power before. And if Gabriel was honest, he wondered about Sam's might also.

Alicia pulled her energy forth no sooner had Sam released her again, and confirmed he'd undone the cap on her power. She then moved back over to where she'd been, seemingly otherwise unaffected.

Crowley watched her for a moment, then looked back at Sam. "Curious. Now, I was also wondering...if you can do these things, then can you, Squirrel, also do such feats?" he spoke, eyes sliding from Sam to Dean.

Gabriel looked over to see Dean's jaw ticking a bit. There was a bit of bitter unease trickling from Sam at the question, and he was glancing at Dean as though afraid he'd be upset.

It took a moment, but Dean shook his head. "No. Sammy's tried to walk me through it, but I can't do the things he does. I can hide my wings...but I can't teleport, I can't...keep an angel from reaching their grace, so I guess I can't keep a human from reaching their soul either, and...definitely can't make an angel into a Guardian," the older brother admitted.

"Hm," Crowley let out, watching Dean for a second before directing the next question at him. "Other than being able to...hide your wings, as you said...did you gain any other powers after bonding with your little baby-mama? Or, I suppose I should say baby-daddy, in this instance?" he said.

Dean visibly bristled, a growl sounding low in his throat. "Watch how you speak about my mate," he snarled.

"Dean...he's not trying to insult Cas," Sam spoke quietly. "He's just snarky, and I imagine that has a lot to do with the people under his command and what he has to put up with on a daily basis. ...So relax."

Dean huffed, rolling his shoulders and trying to settle his wings; it didn't work. "Yeah, I gained a couple," he answered shortly.

Crowley waited, clearly expecting an elaboration...but Dean didn't provide it. Curling his lip in distaste, the villain looked back to Sam. "Do you think it'd be possible for you to change a human to an angel without involving a bond?" he asked.

Sam blinked, brow furrowing. "I...I seriously doubt it. I...no, I don't...I can't," he said, trying to put certainty in his tone. Gabriel didn't look at Sam, other than from his periphery, but he knew his mate was lying. Sam didn't know if he could do that, but he wasn't wanting to try. And Gabriel knew that was because Sam was afraid of exactly what all he _could_ do. He agreed with Max's belief that he had too much power. And while it wasn't limitless, Sam was worried that if he pushed, it would be.

For some reason, his mate didn't like that idea. Didn't want to have more power, even though it'd only mean he could protect everyone he cared for. Gabriel was going to have to ask him about it, but he wouldn't right then.

Crowley let out yet another hum, this one containing an edge of disbelief. He looked Sam over, and Gabriel didn't much care for his gaze, though it was more assessing than innuendo.

Crowley opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by a ringing noise.

Dean patted his pocket first, Sam doing so within the next second. It turned out to be Sam's phone, and he answered. "Adam? Hey...oh. Uh...yeah, I'll...I'll swing by as soon as I can. We uh...we have guests," Sam spoke, glancing over at Crowley and Rowena. "Okay, bye," he spoke a bare second later.

Even as he hung up, Crowley was standing. "Nevermind me, Moose. Go and grab your little brother. I believe that I will be content to wander about, meet the angels as it were. While we're at it," he spoke, turning to glance at his mother as she rose from her perch as well. "You should accompany me, Mother dearest. I could use your assistance in ensuring that there's a lack of language barrier," he said.

"Like hell the two of you are roaming around on your own," Dean hissed.

Sam rolled his eyes and looked to the sky, seeming to pray for strength. "That's a good idea, Dean," he spoke with false cheer, turning a bright smile on his brother. "You should give them a tour!"

Dean turned a shocked expression on Sam. In turn, Sam turned back to Gabriel, leaning over and pecking him on the lips. "Be back in a bit," he said with a wink, before vanishing from between his mate and brother.

Gabriel chuckled as Dean huffed out an angry, "Sam!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chappie~~...it's basically filler, but there's some important tidbits. *shrug*


	81. Chapter 81

His phone had rung, and Sam dug it out, answering as he spotted Adam's contact information on the screen. "Adam? Hey," he spoke.

"Hey, Sam. My class for tomorrow was canceled, so I was hoping to come spend my long weekend there?"

"Uh...yeah, I'll...I'll swing by as soon as I can. We uh...we have guests," Sam responded, glancing over at Crowley and Rowena.

"No worries, I'm ready whenever."

"Okay, bye," Sam spoke, hanging up.

As he did, Crowley was standing. "Nevermind me, Moose. Go and grab your little brother. I believe that I will be content to wander about, meet the angels as it were. While we're at it," the villain began, turning to look at his mother. She was already moving to stand as well. "You should accompany me, Mother dearest. I could use your assistance in ensuring that there's a lack of language barrier."

And, of course, Dean had to be a hothead. "Like hell the two of you are roaming around on your own," his big brother spat out in a low hiss.

Sam looked to the ceiling. _Please, God or whatever, give me strength_. No sooner had he done his prayer, an idea popped into his head, and he couldn't help but smirk. ""That's a good idea, Dean! You should give them a tour!" he told his Guardian brother as he looked at him.

The look of shock and disbelief on Dean's face was utterly hilarious. Not waiting for the impending fallout, Sam turned to Gabriel and quickly pecked him on the lips, feeling the amusement that was pulsing back and forth between them. "Be back in a bit," he said, flashing his mate a wink before teleporting.

He landed in Adam's dorm room, his roommate startling for a bare second before the kid recognized Sam. "Oh, hey, man!" he greeted with an easy smile.

"Hey, Kevin. Adam still bugging you with his music when you're trying to study?" Sam asked with a grin, glancing over at his younger brother in time to see his huffy eye roll.

"No more than he bugs me when he practices his cello. At eleven at night," Adam cut in poutily.

Kevin shot them both a cheeky grin, turning back to the books in front of him where he sat at the desk on his side of the room.

Sam chuckled, looking back at Adam. "Pretty sure it's revenge for the rock at all-hours," he told him.

Adam pursed his lips, still looking pouty, and looked over at Kevin's back. After a bare second, he had a faint frown on his lips and was looking back at Sam. "Hey, uh...can I talk to you in the hall before we go?" he asked, rising from the lower bunk of the bed in the room.

Sam blinked a couple of times, then nodded. "Yeah, of course," he said, following the youngest of the Winchester bloodline from the room.

No sooner had the door closed behind Sam, Adam was turning a pleading gaze onto him. "Kevin's girlfriend, Cho, broke up with him. He doesn't have any Friday classes, so...can he come with us?"

Sam paused, considering with a faint frown. "...If he does, he's going to have to room with you, Adam. We had another thirty-plus angels show up early this morning, and the compound is completely packed. There's not a single spare room. ...And uh...well, Rowena's in today...along with her son, who's a uh, a big time villain, so...if you're sure you want Kevin around a potentially dangerous situation, then I don't mind him coming," Sam said.

Adam gave a faint smile and shrugged. "Kevin can room with me. And I know you and Dean, much less pretty much anyone else, aren't going to let Kevin get hurt. ...So help me talk him into it?"

Sam looked at the ceiling for strength once more, huffing out a sigh. "Yeah...I guess," he said, before they turned and headed back into the room.

"Kev! Pack up a bag, you're tagging along," Adam chirped, moving over to his own bag setting on his bed.

Kevin blinked, looking up. "What? Wh...No, no way! I've got so much studying to do, and a research paper due in five weeks that I'm only halfway done with, and--"

"Kevin, I know that, for you, if you're not ahead, you're behind. But. Consider the cultural enrichment you have to gain from meeting aliens," Sam cut in.

At his words, the young scholar froze. And he actually considered. There was an all-out war of confliction on his face as he thought. After a couple of minutes, his lips pulled to the side slightly. "But I can't quantify that on paper," he spoke.

"Not everything needs to be on paper, though. It's enough to simply experience," Sam prodded gently.

A moment later, it appeared to work, as Kevin gave a silent nod and got up, starting to pull out a duffel bag and pack it up.

Barely five minutes later, Adam, Kevin, and Sam reappeared in the reading area. Gabriel still sat there, but all others that had been there had dispersed.

Beaming at his mate, Sam moved forward after releasing his brother and friend, pulling Gabriel up and holding him close to his side. "Kevin, this is my mate, Gabriel. Gabriel, this is Kevin Tran, Adam's friend and roommate at college," he introduced.

Gabriel gave a welcoming smile, extending his hand. Kevin blinked, glancing at his swollen tummy for a brief second before quickly reaching out and shaking his hand in return. "Nice to meet you. When are you due? I know Sam's pretty soon," Kevin spoke, glancing at Sam's tummy briefly, "judging by size, anyway, but--"

Gabriel's chuckle cut him off and he shook his head. "My Samshine's got three in there. We're pretty much due around the same time, Kevvy," he spoke amusedly.

Kevin's eyebrows shot up, his eyes going to Gabriel, then Sam, then Sam's tummy, then Gabriel's tummy, and back up to Gabriel's eyes. "Four?!" he squeaked. "How are you two supposed to raise four at once?" he spoke, still high-pitched.

Gabriel was laughing, so Sam answered in an amused tone. "Raising children is a communal effort with angels. We won't be fending for ourselves with them; everyone will pitch in to help."

Kevin seemed to calm a bit with that information. "Like Native Americans," he murmured.

Sam nodded slowly, having not quite made that connection before. Many Native American tribes had partaken in a group effort to raise children. "Very similar, I imagine. So far, I haven't seen much of that. Kola and Kima, twin girls born to Loma and Hurzef, are not quite a month old yet. And Cas only just had Jackie this afternoon."

"Wait, Cas gave birth?! I wanna meet my nephew!" Adam exclaimed, looking around as if Cas would appear at his exclamation. His eyes moved to the distant elevator after a bare second as he seemed to realize just where Cas and Jackie would be, and he was moving toward it. Kevin was following quickly behind, apparently wanting to get a look at an angel baby as well.

Glancing down at where Gabriel was watching them amusedly, he kissed the top of his mate's head, took his hand, and followed after the college students.

When they reached the medical station, Rowena was there. She'd apparently abandoned her son to Dean, because she sat at Cas' bedside, Jackie cradled in her arms as she cooed down at the infant.

Cas was watching them calmly. Sam was a little surprised, though, at how much trust his brother-in-law was showing Rowena.

Rowena glanced up as they neared, eyes practically sparkling. "Oh, is he not just a bon little lass?" she cooed, looking back down at the baby.

Kevin halted and blinked a few times. "Uh...that's...he? Lass? What?" he said.

Sam chuckled, but had mercy on Kevin. "Jackie's body is female, Kev...but his soul isn't," he explained gently.

As with everything, Kevin accepted it without so much as a blink. Just like he had accepted when he'd uncovered that Sam was pregnant. Just as he had apparently accepted that Sam and Gabriel were going to be birthing children at roughly the same time. Just as he had accepted that Sam was clearly in a homosexual relationship. Sam was willing to bet that, when Kevin observed the two different polyamorous relationships going on beneath the roof of the compound, he'd accept those as well.

Adam had moved over behind Rowena and was peering over her shoulder at Jackie, eyes lighting up happily. Moving his gaze over to Cas, he grinned at their brother-in-law. "You and Dean make a beautiful kid," he complimented.

Castiel clearly preened, grinning brightly.

It was then that Gabriel shuffled over, holding out his arms. "Alright, Ro, you've had your turn. Lemme hold Jackster now," he demanded poutily.

Sam laughed, even as Rowena carefully shifted the infant from her arms to Gabriel's. "You'll have Iskra in your arms within a few months, Gabe, so don't go hogging Jackie all day," he said.

"Iskra?" Kevin spoke up suddenly, glancing back and forth. "...Isn't that Bosnian?"

Sam blinked, looking at Kevin. There was a panicked flash through their connection and his gaze quickly whipped around to Gabriel as his mate hid it. "...Gabe..." he spoke in warning.

"Nope, it's Enochian!" his mate lied.

On the bed behind him, Cas' eyes narrowed. "I have not heard the name Iskra before you mentioned it the other day, brother."

Gabe whirled on him, carefully holding Jackie close. "Cassie, you're supposed to back me up!"

"...Gabriel," Sam spoke evenly.

Gabriel's wings twitched and tensed and he looked back at Sam slowly. "Uh...yeah?"

"Did you name our child Sparky in Bosnian?"

"Uhm...."

"It's actually spark...or sparkle," Kevin provided, oh-so-helpfully.

Sam leveled a glare at his mate.

Gabriel gave a weak smile. "But it's such a good name, Samshine..." he spoke in a pitiful tone.

"I told you, we're not naming that one Sparky."

"But that just means we have to! Come on, Sammy, it's perfect! It sounds like a good strong name for our little boy, doesn't it?" his mate pleaded.

Sam tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling for probably the fourth time that day. _Give me strength_.

"Please, Sammoose?"

Another new nickname. ...And let's face it, Sam could never deny Gabriel anything. The chocolate stores at the mall were proof of that.

"Alright. Alright, fine! We'll stick with Iskra," he let out defeatedly.

There was such a bright pulse of happiness in their bond that a smile cracked over Sam's lips. He looked back at Gabriel, gaze fond as his mate beamed happily up at him, still holding their nephew as carefully as he could manage.

They all took to talking, about the names that Sam and Gabriel had picked out for the triplets Sam carried, about angel biology (though that was mostly between Kevin and Adam, since Adam now had a pretty good working knowledge of it), and of course, about baby Jackie.

Sam had taken up a spot on a stool, Jackie now back in Cas' arms, and blinked when he heard voices nearing the medical station. He turned, recognizing the cadence of his older brother's voice, and was stunned to see him walk in, with Crowley, King of villains, right on his heels.

For some reason, Dean had decided to trust the man. He had to have, because no matter how much Dean wanted to see his mate or newborn, there's no way in hell he'd have brought someone he considered a threat into the same room as them.

Dean moved forward a bit more quickly as his eyes landed on his family, beaming at Cas lovingly and leaning down to kiss him.

Crowley stopped halfway into the room, glancing about. "Ah, young Kevin Tran. Pleasure to make your acquaintance," the King spoke smoothly.

Kevin blinked, frowning and tilting his head. "I...I'm sorry, have we...met?"

"Mm, no, I'm afraid not. But I've kept an eye on you. You're quite the bright one, you are. I imagine in due time, you may even make quite the hero," Crowley responded.

"Wh...me? No way, I can't--"

"Oh, not yet, I imagine. But these things do tend to run in families, and though your mother is a ferocious woman, it is more on your father's side of things that you'd be inheriting your abilities," he spoke smoothly.

Kevin went silent, staring blankly. Sam frowned, then looked at Crowley. "Hey...lay off, man, he's a college student. Whatever does or doesn't happen, leave him be and let him live his life. Alright?" he spoke firmly.

Crowley met Sam's eyes, made a noncommittal noise, then looked over where Dean now had a fussy Jackie in his arms. His interest was clearly piqued, and he shuffled a couple of steps closer, but halted there, apparently not daring to get any closer. Not a one of the angels in the room were posturing against him, but the villain still seemed reluctant to get any closer to a child than that. A few glances between the fathers and the baby, though, and the man made a comment of, "You two do seem quite proud of yourselves. And I'd have to say, rightly so," he ventured.

Dean shot a grin up at him, apparently understanding the villain's words well. "Thanks, man," he said, before turning back to his slowly-calming son.

"I do say, it will be quite a challenge to raise him, though, don't ye think? He's in a female body, but male...how are ye to manage pronouns with 'im?" Rowena spoke.

Dean and Cas glanced at each other with small frowns.

"We've been thinking about it, and--"

"We are considering addressing him with female pronouns until he is able to understand his own being and sense of self better. Until he understands that he is male," Castiel concluded for Dean.

They all fell quiet at that for several long moments.

It was Crowley that spoke up first. "That could be work, and it would be wise, I believe. After all, if you tell him he's a boy in a girl's body as he grows, he may come to despise you for it, to blame you though it's none your fault. It does seem like the sort of thing that one needs to uncover on their own. But I recommend avoiding pronouns as much as possible, and being open in buying whatever sort of toy or clothing he seems to prefer, so as not to encumber his growth."

Cas and Dean were silent, and after a moment, Dean was looking over at Cas, making it obvious they were having a silent conversation. Finally, Cas looked at Crowley. "Your postulation is sound, and Dean and I are inclined to follow your advice. Thank you," he spoke, his tone just on the side of warm.

Hearing his words and tone, Crowley looked a bit humbled and merely gave a tilting nod in return. After a second of seemingly uncomfortable silence on the villain's part, he turned to Rowena. "Come, Mother. I believe it best that we hit the rest of the new angels with your little translation ability. It'd be much more easy for them to become a part of society if they could communicate effectively," he spoke.

Rowena huffed, rolling her eyes and stood. "Of course, F...Crowley," she spoke. She seemed to be adjusting to using her son's preferred name, albeit slowly.

The villains left and Sam turned to watch his family, and Kevin, with a faint smile on his face. He had a feeling that, in the end, things would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chappie, yes~~


	82. Chapter 82

By the time dinner had rolled around, Sam and Gabriel had helped in getting Jackie and Cas settled back into the small family's room, Dean carrying his mate while Gabriel carried Jackie.

The sight of Gabriel holding their neph...er, niece? Anyway, the sight of Gabriel holding Jackie did all sorts of fuzzy-warm things to Sam. And a few arousing things, too, but honestly, his libido was all over the place these days.

That was another thing, though...thinking of Jackie as their niece when they'd been calling him--her--their nephew. Because Sam knew that little Jackie was a boy, but they were going to have to wait until h--she figured it out herself.

It was for the best, and he knew it. It was just a little odd, is all.

By the time they made it downstairs, Glips was helping Max cook in the kitchen, and Crowley, Rowena, and Alicia were seated at a dining table, talking. Adam and Kevin were not too far from the kitchen, just standing and idly talking.

Before Gabriel and himself could take a seat in the living room, Balthazar was striding up to them. The usually playful demeanor was gone from his face as he halted in their path. " ** _Who's the new human?_** " he spoke in a hushed tone.

Gabriel was pulsing with something like delight and Sam glanced at him. Gabriel met his eyes.

' _You don't think all that flirting he's been doing was completely for show, do you Samshine? Balthy's jealous~._ '

Sam blinked, looking back at Balthazar, who was frowning a bit more with the pause in Sam's answer. And oh, but Sam could have fun with this. In fact, he was pretty sure he was going to...and he could feel Gabriel's amused approval at the little devious spark trilling through Sam.

" ** _Kevin. He's a medical student, just like Adam. They have a good bit in common._** "

Balthazar glanced over at the college students, then back to Sam. " ** _Such as?_** " he asked, poorly feigning an air of indifference.

It took all Sam had not to smirk. " ** _Well, for starters, they live together. Share a bed and all that_** ," he said with a shrug. Bunk bed, but he wasn't about to spill that much.

Balt's gaze darted over to the pair again, eyes narrowing. " ** _Hm. Armaya said she hadn't seen him before_** ," he spoke, wings twitching and feathers fluffed.

Sam considered for a bare second, then shrugged. " ** _They're actually kinda a new thing, really. I mean, yeah, they moved fast, but..._** " he trailed off.

And not a bit of it had been a lie, yet. They were a new thing; new friends. They had moved fast...at the beginning of the semester, when they'd had to move into the dorm room, when they'd first met. And they did have a bit in common. Favorite movies, love of medicine...though Kevin was much more studious than Adam was.

Balthazar returned his attention to Sam. " ** _New thing?_** " he questioned.

' _You are really good at this, kiddo_ ,' Gabriel commented, still pulsing with gleeful amusement as he followed Sam's train of thought.

" ** _Mm, yeah. They met at the beginning of the semester...what, two months ago now?_** " Sam responded, blinking as he saw Samandriel starting to drift closer to step in on the conversation.

" ** _So...after Adam's break?_** " the tawny winged Nester spoke quietly.

Sam poked at Gabriel curiously, wondering what that had to do with anything.

' _It's probably when they all agreed on a mutual attraction to Adam, and thus decided to begin pursuing him. ...Uhm, I'm still not sure how it works by human standards, but angel instincts would have them believing that they basically called dibs, and only Adam stating in clear terms that he's not interested will make them back off_ ,' Gabriel provided.

Sam nodded, both to the information he'd received from his mate, and to Samandriel's question.

He startled when, with a sharp twitch of his wings, Balthazar stalked off toward Adam and Kevin suddenly.

' _Is this an uh-oh situation? It kinda feels like an uh-oh situation._ '

' _I'm not sure, honestly. It could be_ ,' Gabriel responded, just the tiniest hint of concern rolling from him.

Sam moved to follow immediately, to make sure Balthazar wasn't about to do something harmful to Kevin. As he approached, however, he heard Balthazar being...well, Balthazar.

"Adam, I'm sure you've already been made aware, but there's been an issue with the rooming situation since the new arrivals early on this morning. As such, we'd like to invite you to share our bed," he all-but purred.

Adam and Kevin had stopped talking as they saw him approach, and where Adam had had a friendly smile before, now he was...frozen. And red as a tomato.

Kevin's eyebrows were in his hairline, and after a few seconds, he started sputtering. "D-Dude!" he started, then looked at Adam, who had more experience with angels. "Do they all proposition like that--like, at the drop of a hat?"

Adam blinked a couple of times, looking at Kevin. He was still red, right to the tips of his ears as he let out a weak chuckle and shook his head. "Nah, that's just Balthazar. He likes to tease," he said.

At that, Balthazar frowned, wings twitching. Sam was barely a foot behind him now, but couldn't fully see his expression.

"You're calling me a tease, darling? You're the one that doesn't want to put out," he said, crossing his arms and leaning back slightly, looking toward the kitchen. Sam smirked. He was pouting.

Adam laughed and shook his head. "Maybe I would, if you actually meant it," he teased.

That had Sam pausing. Yeah, he wanted to play around and see where this would go, and yes, he knew Adam had had interest in Armaya at one point. But he'd thought that Adam had lost interest when her would-be mates arrived. And while he picked up that Balthazar, Samandriel, and Armaya's interest in Adam had seemed to become genuine over the past few months, he had not picked up any interest out of Adam toward them.

But that Adam was teasing like that? With that tiny, well-hidden spark of hope in his eyes? ...Adam was interested.

Balthazar's head had whipped around at the lilting, teasing tone, wings rucking up a bit. Sam blinked as Samandriel, followed closely by Armaya, brushed past him. Gabriel came up to his side.

' _I need popcorn. This is awesome_ ,' Gabriel thought.

Sam rolled his eyes and lightly thumped one of his wings against Gabriel's in mock-reprimand.

"Adam, you're early. Who's your...friend?" Armaya spoke, before Balthazar could fire a retort.

Kevin was staring at Armaya for a second, before suddenly grinning, glancing over at Adam for the barest of seconds before stepping forward and extending his hand. "Kevin Tran. I'm Adam's roommate back at school," he introduced.

"Armaya. This is Balthazar, though I'm sure he didn't bother introducing himself," she began, shaking Kevin's hand and tweaking a feather in Balthazar's wings with the other hand. "And this is Samandriel," she continued, gesturing to her other would-be mate.

"Roommate? Is that what you're calling it?" Balthazar muttered, staring off away from the two humans in front of them again and ignoring Armaya's chiding glare.

"Uh...yes?" Kevin spoke.

Adam looked just as confused. "I live in the dorms. You have to have a lot of money or a special reason for accommodation to get a dorm room all to yourself. Kevin's my assigned roommate this semester. Certainly a lot better than my last one. Uhg," Adam let out with a roll of his eyes.

Balthazar blinked and looked at Adam for a long moment. There was a glance at Kevin, another long stare at Adam.

...And then Balthazar was turning a glare onto Sam. "Oh, that was low, Sam Winchester. That was low."

Sam was nervous for all of two seconds before deciding to just grin beatifically and walk off, leaving them to it.

Gabriel didn't follow. He lurked and watched. And, when he joined Sam as dinner was being served, he smirked up at him broadly. "Adam took Balthazar up on his offer," he whispered.

Sam blinked a couple of times, replaying the conversation he'd overheard. ...Where Balthazar had invited his little brother to share a bed with himself, Armaya, and Samandriel.

Sam was faintly surprised and looked up, looking around. He caught sight of Adam and Kevin, holding plates. Adam had paused by the triad and was saying something to them. All three of the angels had bright smiles on their faces...even Armaya, as reserved as she usually was. After a few moments, Adam then stepped away, leading Kevin toward their end of the table.

Tease or protect, tease or protect? ...Both. Both is good.

Adam and Kevin sat down in Cas and Dean's usual spots. Dean had come down just a bit ago to retrieve food for the two of them, then went back to tend to his mate.

Sam cleared his throat and spoke only loudly enough that those closest to him would hear. "So, two things, Adam. One, don't reach for your energy. And two, if you for some reason do, if for some reason you're able to manifest it, do not do it if you're buried in Samandriel at the time. That can and possibly will result in a pregnancy, and I'm not so sure any of you are ready for that," he said. His tone was even, but he couldn't help the small tilt of his lips as he teased.

Adam had dropped his fork and was staring in complete shock at Sam, face far more red than it had been when Balthazar had offered up their bed to him earlier. His mouth opened and worked, but all that came out was a high pitched squeak.

Sam and Gabriel both lost it, laughing hysterically at the comical expression and noise from Sam's little brother.

"I hate you," came whined pitifully from across the table.

Kevin was patting Adam on the back, grinning all the while.

The moment passed, and they ate, but as they neared finishing their food, Kevin spoke up. "Why?"

Sam looked up, seeing Kevin's gaze locked on him.

"Uhm...why what?"

Kevin glanced at Adam and then back at Sam. "What you said earlier...why? And what does that have to do with pregnancy? I thought--"

"Dude," Adam groaned, then sighed and shook his head. "'s how Cas got pregnant. Angel's got 25 sets of chromosomes," he explained, knowing that Kevin had medical knowledge to work out that that was two more sets than a human had. "And at the time Cas got pregnant, Dean was still human. But he'd manifested his energy while they uhm...went at it, and apparently Cas' grace reacted or something, and it was enough to fill in the missing genetic information and result in Jackie."

"Oh. Hunh. ...That's fascinating," Kevin spoke, gaze a bit distant as his mind worked.

The next morning came, and after breakfast, Sam decided to go ahead and make for the weekly grocery trip. With all the angels in the compound, they were about to run out of food anyway.

He hadn't taken Gabe on a grocery trip in a while, and so he decided that his mate, Glips, and Jivi would be the ones he took.

As soon as he'd heard Jivi being asked to tag along, Byruvin had asked if he could participate in the excursion as well. Sam had barely hid his knowing smile as he agreed.

By midmorning, they were in the parking lot of the usual store they went to, and were making their way toward the entrance. Gabriel was talking about how he was going to empty the store of chocolate, but that he'd much rather be going to Opry Mills again to empty Rocky Mountain and Lindt of their chocolates again, and Sam couldn't help but to smile fondly down at his mate.

There was a sudden, hard, blunt pain at the base of his skull. His vision whited for a split second, and then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there was nothing on Friday. I blame work u.u
> 
> Also, this chappie is a bit shorter than I'd like, but there's something coming in the next chappie that I'm very excited for~~!
> 
> And finally....
> 
> DUN DUN DUUUNNNN


	83. Chapter 83

Gabriel was trying, oh-so-subtly, to convince his beloved to take him back to Opry Mills so he could raid their chocolate stores again. "I mean, Hershey's is awesome, but Lindt is just...next level, ya--" he began, but he paused, his eyes catching on the human that had started to walk past them, behind Sam. He was making a strange movement.

It was barely a second later that Gabriel understood what that movement was; the human had been pulling out a weapon, a gun. He knew this because he saw it as Sam crumpled to the ground in front of him. Gabriel froze, and it took a moment for him to understand the situation as the human took aim at Sam's head, barking out words that the golden angel couldn't really comprehend in his shock.

This human was threatening his mate's life. Threatening Sam's life. Threatening the life of their children that he had not yet birthed.

Gabriel's eyes snapped up to the human's and he stared, rage and righteous anger pounding through him.

Distantly, he was aware that he was doing something, but he had not a single clue just what.

The weapon discharged, but the projectile never reached Sam. It froze, barely out of the gun, then clattered to the ground. Gabriel saw it, even if he didn't hear it.

His eyes moved from where they'd gone to the gun the second the human's finger had twitched, back up to the man. The man that now looked terrified. Gabriel felt a dark grin cross his face, and then the human was apparently screaming his agony as he burst into flames. Gabriel still couldn't hear anything, could only see, could only watch in satisfaction as the danger to his family burned in front of him, frozen to the spot.

When he'd finally collapsed, thankfully falling away from Sam's unconscious form, there were movements in his peripheral vision, and he snapped his head up, glaring in challenge.

Angels. Kin, practically. He knew them. ...But no one was going near his mate, dammit. Not anyone! Everyone was a threat!

One of them, a six-winged male, moved forward slowly, mouth moving, but Gabriel brought his wings up in open threat, baring his teeth in a promise of pain and death if he took another step.

He expected a challenge from his fellow Sentinel, but instead, cobalt wings were pressing down low toward the ground in an attempt to seem nonthreatening.

Another one, a Nester male, was speaking to the Sentinel; Gabriel could see his mouth moving. When none of them made another step toward his mate after a long tense moment, Gabriel looked away dismissively, shuffling closer to Sam before finally kneeling beside him. He moved to pull him closer, relieved to see his beloved give a small twitch. But when he found blood, his wings twitched high again in distress. It was on the ground, and a quick perusal of his mate found the source; the back of Sam's head had a shallow cut from where the skin had likely broken under the blow he'd received.

Carefully moving so that Sam's shoulders and head were spread over his folded legs, Gabriel brushed his fringe back tenderly, watching him.

He lost awareness for quite some time as he watched his love silently.

He was finally starting to become aware of noise again, though it was just muted sound and nothing more, when there was movement at his side. He snapped his wings high in aggression, turning to see what threat dared intrude upon his bubble of peace, and halted short, his wings sagging slightly.

Another Sentinel. This one Gabriel knew far better. His eyes traced over the white feathers, dusted with stardust-like gold.

The Sentinel moved closer, mouth moving, muted sound reaching Gabriel's ears.

Sam's brother. Cassie's mate. ...Dean.

And like that, whatever had been looming over his consciousness receded, and he could finally hear.

"--im home. Come on, man, let us help Sammy, and you, okay?"

"Okay," Gabriel spoke, feeling off-kilter and a bit floaty.

Dean blinked as Gabriel responded, then seemed to sag with relief. "Alright. Alright, I'm gonna carry 'im, okay? We're all gonna fly back," he said.

Gabriel paused, nodding after a moment, and Dean stepped closer. Gabriel's wings twitched at the nearness, and twitched again as Sam was lifted away from him, but slowly he stood, looking around dazedly.

There were a lot of humans standing about. Glips, Jivi, and Byruvin were a bit away, spread out in a triangle formation, and seemed to be trying to keep the humans back. Slowly, Gabriel's gaze went back to Sam, and finally, up to Dean. "...What happened?" he asked quietly.

Dean frowned, glancing over at Jivi, then back at Gabriel, giving a shake of his head. "All I know is, Moon Queen called me and was freaking out over the flood on the internet. Pictures and videos of you guys here with Sam out cold on the ground. When I got here...look, we'll talk about the rest after we're back, alright? You good to fly?"

Gabriel nodded, curious but in a detached sort of way. With little else spoken, the five angels took flight, Dean easily carrying Gabriel's pregnant mate.

They had all gotten used to Sam's teleporting. It was with aching wings that they touched down on the roof of the compound, and Gabriel was relieved to see Nariel waiting for them at the entrance to the ship. Mikiye was there, too, as well as two of the new arrivals, apparently the grace-healers from the **_Hmriti_ **and **_Jik_**. He doubted either were from the **_Pliy_**. For one thing, they weren't completely skin and bones, and for another, Gabriel was pretty sure the grace-healer of the **_Pliy_ **hadn't made it when there had only been five survivors from that vessel.

Nariel and Mikiye were both approaching immediately, not waiting for Dean to bring Sam up onto the **_Bilum_**. Mikiye, still restricted from her grace, moved and felt for Sam's pulse, and Nariel pulled his grace forth with a grimace, detecting what he could of their triplets.

"Pulse is a little thready, but ultimately strong," Mikiye reported, deferring to Nariel.

"Sam's better at this than me, but the fledglings seem to be alright from what I can tell," Nariel spoke aloud, glancing at Gabriel, then to Dean. "Let's see what we can do about getting him patched up and properly rested."

Dean nodded and the grace-healers led the way into the medical station. Once there, Dean followed direction to lay Sam out on a bed. Gabriel shuffled over close, but tried to stay out of the way as the healers worked, moving Sam onto his side to work on the back of his head.

With Sam being tended to, Gabriel looked at Dean, Glips, Jivi, and Byruvin. This time, he more directed the question at the latter three than Dean. "What happened?" he queried.

"Something unprecedented...something new," Jivi began, staring at Gabriel as though he were a puzzle. "...Sam fell to that human. I can't speak for Glips or Byruvin, but I myself was well and truly terrified. The man yelled, trying to command our attention...said that if we moved a muscle, he'd kill Sam."

"Said he'd paint the pavement with his brains," Glips spoke, skin pale and eyes tearing up a bit.

From the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw Dean's wings give a hard twitch, and then a violent shudder. Aggression and terror, in succession.

"Then I...he started yelling at you," Jivi continued. "That was when we noticed that your eyes had begun glowing. It wasn't until the...the aura, the...the crown? It wasn't until that appeared, that he tried to make good on his threat, to kill Sam."

Gabriel could recall something of it, though it was all a bit hazy. "I...I did something..." he spoke uncertainly before looking over at Sam, trying to reassure himself that his mate was definitely there, despite feeling the peace of sleep and the faint echoes of pain from heir bond.

"You did," Byruvin spoke up for the first time. "The bullet dropped to the ground no sooner had he pulled the trigger. Whatever was manifesting around you, it became brighter, almost started to become blinding...and then the man was on fire. He looked to be trying to run away, too, but he didn't move, save his flailing. After a bit...he dropped to the ground, dead."

"We tried to approach, to help Sam...but you looked at us as though you didn't know who we were. Byruvin spoke to you, and it was as if you didn't hear. We made to keep the gathering curious humans away when you took to keeping vigil over Sam, and after a bit, the...the aura began to fade. It only completely went away after Dean arrived and you appeared to snap out of it."

Gabriel frowned. There wasn't much he really recalled. Sam being hurt, the bullet falling to the ground, fire...then Dean had been there and talking, and everything that came after. "This...this aura you keep talking about," he spoke, looking at Jivi. He wasn't sure he liked any of this, he felt out of control of himself. "What'd it look like?"

"Like.... It was light, as golden as your wings, in a disc sort of shape, cresting the crown of your head. It appeared to have writing, but because it was all differing tones of light, I couldn't read it," Jivi answered.

Gabriel frowned, trying to picture it, when Dean finally spoke up again. "You remember that bible Sammy showed you? The depictions in it?" he asked. Gabriel looked at him, frowning and nodding as he recalled the various printed art pieces depicting Jesus, his disciples, Moses...and biblical angels. "It looked like a halo," Dean continued.

Gabriel blinked, staring at Dean blankly. After several long seconds of trying to absorb that, he looked back at Jivi. "Is there anything like this in the records? I mean, I never really paid attention to old stories, but I don't remember...anything like this."

Jivi gave a faint grimace, followed by a tight smile as he shook his head. "No, Gabriel. ...You are something new," he informed.

Gabriel let out a tight strained noise from the back of his throat. He turned his gaze onto his mate, deciding to pretend the rest of the world, and this new issue, didn't exist.

It was an hour later when Sam finally began to stir. By this time, Gabriel had taken up a stool at his bedside and was holding his hand. The first sign of his rousing was a squeeze, and then Sam's eyes clenched tight, pain filtering down their bond. There was a brief flicker of panic, but it quickly vanished as Sam reached down their connection, and Gabriel immediately reached back in response, soothing his waking mate.

As a groan echoed into the room, Dean shot up from his seat on Sam's other side, leaning over him. "Sam? Sammy, you alright?"

"Not so loud, you jerk," Sam muttered, finally opening his eyes. He frowned at Dean. "Your mug is not the first one I wanted to see," he pouted.

Dean rolled his eyes, muttering about love-sick pain-in-the-ass little brothers as he resumed his seat. Sam smirked for a second, then turned to look at Gabriel with a soft smile. Gabriel did his best to offer one back, but Sam could clearly tell it was forced. Worry filled their bond as Sam squeezed his hand again. "What's wrong? ...What even happened?" he asked, glancing around the medical station, free hand moving automatically over his stomach. Gabriel's eyes moved to watch the energy glow around it, then fade. Reassurance and calm spilled down their bond, and Gabriel felt himself relax just a bit. Their babies were fine.

"Well, you got jumped," Dean spoke, drawing Sam's attention. "Near as Charlie can tell, it was a villain...one of the ones that doesn't have a presence for us to pick up on. We're not sure what his goal was, but he'd clearly been watching long enough to know you take some people out grocery shopping on Fridays. Hate to tell you Sammy, I know you love that store, but we're going to have to switch it up from now on. Using the same place all the time isn't an option anymore."

Sam was tense and he turned a bit, leaning over and holding his free hand over Gabriel's chest for a moment, then moved it down over his stomach. After a second, he tilted his head, but slowly relaxed back, starting to look around the room. "The others? Is everyone alright?" he asked, looking back to his brother for a report on what'd happened.

"Everyone's fine, thanks to short stack here," Dean said, glancing at Gabriel.

At that, Sam turned his gaze to Gabriel, frowning at whatever the golden angel was putting off through their link; Gabriel wasn't even really sure what he was feeling himself. When Sam prodded at him gently, Gabriel didn't hesitate to open up and show him the hazy, distorted, muted memories, and decided to add in the ones from after they'd reached the medical station and discussed what'd happened. It barely took a blink for it all to pass between them; such was the speed of thought, and thus, memory. When it was past, Sam was pulsing heavily with worry and concern, and reached his free hand out to Gabriel again, trying to reassure himself that mate and child alike were healthy and well. After another moment, Sam looked back at Dean.

"...Get me some food?" he requested.

Dean blinked a couple of times, then looked down at the watch he wore, frowning and nodding. "Yeah...it's pretty close to dinner anyway. I'll grab a plate for you both, but then I'll probably be out for the evening," he said, standing and heading away.

Sam watched him go, then looked over at Gabriel, smiling warmly and scooting over on the large bed. Gabriel couldn't help a pulse of warm gratitude as he moved and climbed up beside his mate.

It was after they had eaten that Sam finally spoke again. "We need to figure out what you did, and how you did it...tomorrow, of course. It's too late in the day to bother with that. But it'd be a good idea to know how to tap into that sort of power...not only because it means being able to protect yourself and those around you, but also because it'll help you be able to draw out of that state should you be in it again," he said calmly.

Gabriel frowned, wanting to shake his head, wanting to refuse, wanting to forever avoid it happening again. But, of course, Sam was right. If he didn't learn how to use it, he could not learn how to control it, and could wind up stuck like that for hours once again, in the future. So, with a heavily reluctant sigh, he nodded. "Alright, Samshine. For now, though, let's get some sleep. I don't think Nariel's gonna let you outta here till morning," he said, glancing over to Nariel's desk in the corner. He sat there with Mikiye sitting on a stool at its side, the two of them looking over a tablet and speaking quietly over whatever they were looking at.

Sam followed his gaze, chuckling and shrugged. "Yeah...I guess so," he said, shuffling down on the bed to lay back. Gabriel watched for a moment before shuffling down and curling up against him.

He was tired, but come morning, he was still surprised to find that it'd taken him bare minutes to fall into sleep regardless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorpresa!
> 
> Gabriel has special power~~~
> 
> My muse is throwing out some ideas about other things, too. So there's plenty more twists and turns that will come up as time goes on.
> 
> You gais. YOU GAIS. I'm over 80 chapters in, and I'm still not sure where this ends. ...Well, not true, I have an idea of where it ends, but not how many more chapters it'll take before I get to it.
> 
> When I started this, I was still writing my series The One About Serial Killers. I thought that this story, like the first two in that series, would only wind up being 20 or so chapters. ...Cue hysterical laughter.


	84. Chapter 84

Sam had woken shortly before Gabriel, and had managed to get Mikiye's agreement in him leaving the medical station. With Gabriel still sleeping at his side, Sam lifted a hand before she could walk off, making her pause as he carefully extricated himself from his sleeping mate's side and sat up on the side of the bed.

"I think it's about time I let you free of that little binding I did, don't you?" he spoke softly.

Mikiye's eyes widened, her wings twitching sharply in agreement, but she still hesitated. "Sam...look, I know I was a...what's the word? Uhm...bitch, I think it is? I still don't get what a female dog has to do with...anyway! And...I do want access to my grace back, I do, but...I'm not so sure I deserve it, honestly," she spoke, keeping her tone lowered as well, respecting that Sam clearly wanted Gabriel to rest more. "I mean...I would've attacked you, and Gabriel...I would've attacked anyone. I was...very volatile that day. And after a few days, I snapped out of it, and realized that I deserved exactly what you did, and worse, especially given that you both are pregnant. I just...I didn't understand many things. ...And now that I've had an opportunity to gain perspective, I don't understand how I could've been okay with the council's decision to destroy another entire species so that our own would survive," she admitted.

"I've had a chance to think on that over the past few months, and to talk it over with Gabriel. I think it was fear, Mikiye. I think the whole of the angels were so afraid, they just didn't care what it took to survive, to live. Plus, from what Gabriel tells me, life wasn't easy with the way your planet was dying. Rationing, and the potential for a gravity displacement to kill hundreds at any given moment...it couldn't have been easy. How Gabriel and Castiel weren't of the same mind as the rest of our people, I don't know. He doesn't either, really. But we've talked, and we understand. And Mikiye, you've grown in your time here. Everyone has, and in time, the new arrivals will, too. I'm confident in that. So while you may have initially deserved that lid on your grace...you definitely don't anymore. It's time I remove it," he spoke gently, gesturing her closer.

Mikiye stared at him for a long moment, her eyes just a bit misty, but then she stepped forward. Sam placed a hand on her shoulder, and with a bare thought, removed the lid on her grace. He felt his way around it gingerly, tilting his head. That old pull, the one he'd felt with Nariel, Sefir, and Mefusa, was there. Not as strong as with Mefusa, but stronger than with Nariel or Sefir. Sam tilted his head, watching Mikiye as he considered. She tilted her head as he looked at her, frowning in concern. "Is something wrong? Can...can you not remove it?" she asked hesitantly. She did seem disturbed by that thought, but not wholly upset.

That made his decision for him, ultimately.

Sam flashed her a warm smile, then felt around again. After a moment of detection, he found the center of her grace, and couldn't help but smile broadly. It made perfect sense that a healer's grace would be in their hands. Removing his hand from her shoulders, he reached out with both hands to take hers, staring down at them. A bare few moments later, the switches were all flipped, and he looked up at her with a grin as he released her from his grip.

"Call forth your blade, Mikiye," he told her.

Mikiye blinked, tilting her head, then looked down.

It took a second longer than it probably should have, but a sleek katana was suddenly in Mikiye's left hand, blade gleaming under the light of a violet fire. Her hand spasmed and she nearly dropped it as she stared with wide eyes. It took roughly two minutes of her staring before her eyes snapped up to Sam's as she understood the implications.

"I...I'm not wo--"

"Don't you finish that sentence. If it hadn't felt right, Mikiye, I wouldn't have done it. You're a Guardian now, and I expect you will bear that mantle well. ...I trust you to bear it, just as much as you do as a grace-healer."

The weapon vanished, Mikiye's lips trembling, and eyes misty once again. For a few seconds, she said nothing. But then, "I'd like to request to move with you and the new arrivals."

Sam halted, having not expected that. He considered for a moment, then shook his head. "No, and there's a few reasons for that. For starters, Dean will be going with me. As such, there'll be two Guardians at the new compound to care for the angels there. Meaning that you staying here will give this compound two Guardians to look after it as well. Then there's your friendship with Meraya. You two may as well be sisters; I've noticed how close you guys are. ...And I've also noticed the way you look at Unti, even if you hardly ever talk to him," he said.

Mikiye flushed bright red at that, feathers ruffling and wings twitching. Her eyes darted back and forth, though, showing she was looking through his argument before she sighed and shook her head. "You're right, you are...but there's only two grace-healers in among the new arrivals, and I don't know if you want to trust them to have your back, should something happen or come up," she spoke with apparent concern.

Sam considered. She was right. But he shook his head. "We'll have to trust in them, Mikiye, that they will do what's right when needed. That they will stand by their duties as grace-healers and not let prejudices, fears, or anger cloud their judgement. It's more important that you stay here. Not just because of your new status, either...but because of your own heart."

Mikiye was quiet for a moment, thinking apparently, before she nodded her acceptance.

It was then that he felt Gabriel beginning to stir and he tilted his head to look back at him, smiling faintly as those beautiful amber eyes started to flutter open. Mikiye seemed to take his inattention as dismissal and walked off. As such, Sam turned to his side, looking down at his love. "Morning, sleepy head. Ready to get some breakfast?" he asked warmly.

At the sight of his smile, Gabriel was pulsing warmth and love between them, and Sam readily returned the affection as his mate moved to sit up.

"Yes. Food. I'm starving," Gabriel pouted.

Sam chuckled, and soon they were in the dining room.

The new arrivals spared a glance for them, but hastily went back to their food. Dean had apparently come down and made chocolate chip pancakes.

Before he and Gabriel could sit down, though, they were approached. Adam, with Armaya, Balthazar, and Samandriel behind him, stepped up to Sam. "Hey bro. We were wanting to talk to you two, and Dean, when you have a minute."

"Castiel, too, if he's up to coming down," Armaya interjected.

Sam blinked, looking from Adam to Armaya. He frowned, seeing the usually unflappable Sentinel with ruffled feathers. Glancing at Samandriel and Balthazar revealed them to be in a similar state, their wings also twitching with anxious nerves.

"Uh...okay? Uhm...after breakfast, then," he responded. Gabriel was hungry. So was Sam, for that matter. And seeing as how Dean was already sitting at the table eating, it'd be best to wait anyway.

Adam gave a nod, then turned back to the angels and they walked away.

Gabriel and Sam moved to get a plate of food for each of them. "Any idea what that's about?" he asked his mate.

"I have a few guesses," Gabriel spoke in a pondering tone as he slid a slice of butter between each still-warm pancake. "For starters," he said, wings twitching as he thought, "I think the angels are viewing you, Deano, Cassie, and...somehow even me, as a new council."

Sam halted, snapping his gaze over to Gabriel as his wings gaze a violent startled twitch.

Feeling the reaction, Gabriel chuckled and nodded in agreement to Sam's shock. "Weird, I know. But if I'm right...well, for couples, triads, nests...so on, to mate...they had to first fill out a request and it would be passed to.... Well, not really the council. Mating requests were far too many to do that with them. They'd basically go to a host of secretaries that would review the form and approve it. It was rare that there'd be a situation where the request would be denied. ...And then there's also the Earth tradition of getting the father's blessing, but I'm guessing that means yours and Dean's in this case."

Sam stared, reeling a bit. Finally, they finished assembling their plates, Sam getting some sausage links and Gabriel getting bacon, before they went to their usual seats at the table.

Dean was almost finished eating, so Sam spoke up. "Adam, Armaya, Balthazar, and Samandriel would like to talk to us. The four of us, if Cas wouldn't mind coming down for a bit? How's he doing anyway?"

Dean tilted his head and gave a curious frown. "Good. So's Jackie. And he said he'll come down with his plate when he'd done eating. What's going on? ...Wait," Dean said, pausing for a moment. His eyes widened for a second, and then he frowned, eyes darting down the table where the angels, Adam, and Kevin sat. Kevin was grinning and apparently teasing Adam about something, because Adam's face was bright red. Dean then looked back at Sam, and Sam met his gaze. "You think this might be a...family approval thing?" he questioned.

"Not just family," Gabriel pitched in, gaining Dean's attention. "Since they're throwing in me and Cassie, I think it might be them seeking council approval, too," he said quietly.

Dean's eyes got wider, if that was possible...which apparently, it was.

"Yeah, I had the same reaction. But don't let your eyes fall out from it, Dean," Sam said with a chuckle.

Dean blinked, looking back at Sam before frowning almost poutily.

"What can I say, it's kinda a shock. Especially considering that almost all of these angels hated us when they showed," his big brother spoke, giving a small shrug of discomfort.

"Yeah, I know...but...once they start to adjust, they seem to understand things pretty well. ...Oh, uhm...by the way," Sam spoke, letting his gaze dart around nervously.

At that, Dean frowned, sitting forward a bit. Gabriel poked at their bond in worry and curiosity.

"I uh...may have made Mikiye a Guardian?" he spoke sheepishly.

There was surprise radiating from Gabriel, but Dean let out a sharp, " **What?** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's shorter than usual, and it didn't reach the conclusion I was looking for with this chapter, but my muse had an idea for another story, and I was kinda working on both concurrently....sooooooooo...yeah.


	85. Chapter 85

Sam stared, eyeing his brother's half-raised wings, ruffled feathers, tense shoulders, and blazing glare. His sharp little outburst had brought the attention of everyone in the dining room on them, but Sam was silent in the moment, trying to gauge just how badly his brother was about to lose his shit and if he needed to drag him away before he did.

And, of course, that would be when they felt the presence of two villains, making Dean's wings raise higher. His gaze flickered toward the distant front door, before coming back to Sam. "This isn't over," he seethed with hissed words, pushing away from the table and heading toward the door.

Sam huffed out a exasperated breath, turning to kiss Gabriel on the forehead before standing and moving after Dean.

When he reached his older brother, now standing in front of the open door, he saw Rowena and Crowley walking toward them calmly, despite the fact that Dean was practically radiating aggression.

"What are you two doing here?" Dean snapped out once they were barely ten feet away.

Rowena paused, eyebrows lifting. Crowley took up a position beside her, frowning with a faint air of confusion.

Looking to save the situation, Sam reached out and grabbed Dean's shoulder, roughly yanking him away from the door. He wasn't actually feeling aggressive, but he jerked his wings up in a show of it anyway. "Cut it out! Just because you're pissed at me doesn't mean you get to take it out on everyone else," he snapped.

Dean froze for barely a second before scowling harshly at Sam. "Maybe if you didn't go around making bone-headed decisions, especially like that one, I wouldn't be pissed in the first place!" he snapped back.

And now, Sam's ire was genuine as he narrowed his hazel eyed gaze at his brother. "I thought we got over you treating me like a child years ago, Dean. Guess that's what I get for believing for even a second you could possibly respect me or my decisions," he spoke in a low, cool tone. He turned to Rowena and Crowley, his wings giving a dismissive flick toward his brother, and he forced a smile as much as he could. "Hey, guys. We're still eating, but you can come in. If you're hungry, feel free to help yourselves," he spoke.

"Of course, darling. We did see that whole fiasco yesterday," Rowena spoke, resuming her approach. She reached up and patted Sam's cheek. "I'm quite glad to see you well, Sam," she said.

Sam shot her a grateful smile, then looked over at Crowley as he stepped in behind her. "Mother was ranting quite a bit. It was rather maddening," he said, eyes moving over Sam in a similar fashion to how Dean's would after a fight. Curious that the King of villains was so concerned over Sam after barely one meeting. "...But you are well, correct? You and the little ones?" he queried, meeting Sam's eyes.

"We are. So's Gabe and Iskra," he revealed. Beside him, Rowena relaxed more than she had been. Crowley raised an eyebrow, gave a flippant and dismissive wave of his hand...but the nod he also gave showed that he was appreciative of the status report.

Sam turned to allow them fully in and to shut the door behind them, blinking as he spotted Dean staring with a suspicious gaze. He wondered about that...about why Dean's insecurities were suddenly dead front and center. First with the lack of trust in Sam's decisions, and now with the sudden renewal of discomfort in the presence of the friendliest villains they'd ever met.

Sam stared at his brother, and as the villains headed for the kitchen, Dean finally met his gaze. Sam gave him a tight, worried frown, communicating that he wanted to know what was up, why Dean was acting like this.

Dean's wings gave a violent twitch, displaying his discomfort.

But Dean was mated to Castiel now, had a bond, a link with the angel, and his emotions were not wholly his own. They were shared, and met with Castiel's emotions and thoughts. Sam was certain that was what had Dean opening up bare seconds later.

"You almost...you almost got shot, Sammy. You could've died. You and Gabe, and Glips, and Jivi, and Byruvin, you all could've died," he spoke, tone heavy with distress that was barely withheld from his now subtly twitching wings. "Cas and I...we could've lost you, lost Gabe, and...I'm sorry, okay? I am. I'm...I'm not dealing well with this," his brother admitted.

Sam gave a weak smile. "Okay. Okay, Dean. For a while, I'll run everything by you first, okay? And Gabe and I...we won't leave you behind on anything for a while, either. ...But you're going to have to adjust to this. It's life, and you know it. That's just how life is. None of us can control all aspects of it, keep everyone we love safe. Alright?"

Dean sagged slightly in the face of Sam's words and nodded. "I know. You're right. ...Don't you get tired of that?" he fussed with a faint, playful scowl.

"Nope!" Sam shot back with a grin.

Coming back to the table revealed Rowena and Crowley both sitting near Alicia, idly eating the food they'd snagged out of the kitchen. Sam took his seat next to Gabriel, and a silent conversation began between them.

 _'If we are being viewed as a council, four members is hardly enough. Especially considering how many more of our people are inbound. There may be some we want to include in the new council from them, even maybe some of the old council members...but if we're going to do this, assume these positions, we shouldn't do it in half-measures_ ,' Gabriel told him.

Sam was quiet for a moment, eating and thinking. He wondered about it, really. Angels would be spread across the globe, which would hardly be convenient for council meetings, or for anyone to come before them. Not to mention...Sam didn't think the council should solely be angels. This may be their home now, but they were sharing it, and it'd be prudent to include humans in it as well.

' _You're right...but what do you think about including humans in the council?_ ' he asked.

Startled surprise filtered between them, and he saw Gabriel's wings twitch from the corner of his eyes.

' _I don't know. I hadn't thought on it. ...I think that's something all four of us would need to discuss. You have some ideas on people though, don't you?_ '

' _I do. ...Charlie, for one. She's the head of a great many heroes in the US, and I'm willing to bet she could expand that network easily if she wanted. And then there's Crowley, who practically rules over the villains. I'm sure Charlie would have suggestions of heroes to have a seat on the council, too.... And then there's Rowena, the oldest known living villain. Her wisdom and experience could be vastly helpful._ '

' _I'm not so sure how I feel about villains right now...but those two haven't lifted a finger toward us, so I'm willing to consider them_ ,' Gabriel said, head turning to look down the table. Another moment passed before Sam could see Gabriel was now looking at him. ' _Why did you make Mikiye a Guardian? I mean, her last real interaction with us was a threat of violence. Granted, I've been watching and noticed that she's made a lot of progress, but...I'm not certain it was enough for that._'

' _She has made enough progress. I talked to her a bit first, Gabe. She was regretful. ...Plus, the instinct to do it was there. Not as strong as it was with Mefusa, but stronger than I felt with Nariel or Sefir. I decided to trust her. ...If it turns out I was wrong, it's on me_ ,' he responded.

There was a faint prod at Sam, and he immediately pulled forth the conversation with Mikiye and the results of altering her grace to make her a Guardian.

Gabriel seemed far more settled after that, and by that time, everyone was done eating. Having skipped out on clean-up duty for who-knows-how-long, Gabriel and Sam, along with Dean, Max, Heturi, and Mefusa, all moved to work on dishes. The kitchen had been crowded for a hot minute, but they quickly managed a system to get everything taken care of.

When they were done, Dean walked toward the elevator, just as it opened to reveal a well-rested Cas with baby Jackie in his arms. Sam paused by one of the dining room tables, watching their clear affection for one another, before his big brother was cooing down at his baby girl. Sam forced himself not to think of her true gender for now. It was difficult, but he'd adjust. He just didn't like identifying Jackie as something she wasn't.

He looked around and spotted Armaya first, then saw Adam beside her and Samandriel on his other side. For a second, he didn't see Balthazar, over in the reading area where they seemed to be waiting on the 'new council.' But then he tilted his head just a bit and spotted him. The bronze-winged Sentinel was on his knees in front of Adam, looking up at Sam's little brother and saying something. The expression on his face was a foreign one; it seemed like he was trying to calm Adam down or something. Sam frowned in worry, then pulsed a subtle emotion to Gabriel to gain his attention, looking back at Dean and Cas and moving over.

"Hey, we should go talk with Adam and the others. I think something's up," he said.

Dean blinked, looking up and frowning a bit. "What do you mean, something's up?"

"I mean, Dean, I think Adam's turning into a bundle of nerves after waiting on us while we were working on dishes. Come on," he said, turning to see Gabriel already making his way toward the reading area.

As they neared, Balthazar stood, and the expression he'd had early was long gone. In its stead was his usual mask of sly, taunting amusement. Sam wondered a bit about that, and wondered if he and Dean should test that altogether, but quickly dismissed the idea. Everyone had reasons for acting as they did. Some reasons were far better than others, but...but Sam was deciding already that he would trust Balthazar. That he would trust him, Samandriel, and Armaya to not break his younger brother's heart.

That is, of course, if that's what all this was about anyway.

He moved to take a seat in a sofa chair, and Gabriel, who'd been waiting on him, immediately moved to sit on the arm of the chair. Sam glanced over to watch Dean settling Cas and Jackie into a chair, before he took to standing at the back corner of the seat, eyeing the angels and human in front of them.

For a second, no one spoke. Sam was a bit surprised that Dean wasn't taking the lead here; he usually did. ...Or had. Sam suddenly realized that, after the angels had arrived, Dean had for the most part been following Sam's lead.

So, Sam decided to go ahead and take the reins, and also not to make any assumptions about just why these four had requested an audience with the former humans and their mates.

"Alright, guys. You've got our full and undivided attention. What do you need?" he spoke, keeping his tone easy and gentle.

Adam was a mess of barely-restrained nerves. He looked ready to vibrate right out of his seat. It seemed the only thing that was even close to settling him was Samandriel's hand that was wrapped around his wrist. Sam didn't look directly at it, but could make out a short movement there, and guessed he was stroking the inside of Adam's wrist with his thumb.

It was Armaya that spoke. "In our time here, we have all observed that there is a clear distinction of power, and thus, command. Sam, you share thoughts and opinions with Gabriel, and almost always present a united front with decisions. Dean, you also give input on decisions, and you and Sam defer to one another in various situations. When Castiel expresses his opinion, it is heard, and I've seen you all defer to his ideas more than once. As such, everyone here has taken to following and respecting your orders, your lead. Because of this, you are likened to and viewed as a council," she said. She paused for a moment, then gave a hint of a smile when none of them reacted to the statement. "That you've already communicated enough to be unsurprised by this speaks deeply of how well you all bode for our continued survival. You all care, more than even most angels would. There is no better decision for a council on this new world."

Sam gave a soft smile and shrugged. "Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. All we can do, is the best that we can do. But this, this request to speak with us? It isn't about becoming a council, we know that," he spoke.

"We requested to speak with you not only to follow our own customs, but as well as to adhere to that of humans," Samandriel spoke up, voice edging on timid and betraying the calm that his wings reflected. He was very good as putting up a front, it seemed.

At the tone of his voice, Adam's hand moved from where Samandriel was holding his wrist, so that their hands were pressed palm to palm, fingers interlaced.

Balthazar picked up next. "We have come to understand that it is traditionally the father or parents of a potential...spouse, is the term? that are spoken to in regards to courtship and...marriage. However, Adam's father, your father, is long gone, and seems to have hardly been accepting in the first place."

Sam flinched slightly, viciously shoving down a memory. Dean winced where he was standing, barely in Sam's line of sight.

Balthazar's eyes bounced back and forth between them, and Adam frowned in concern at the reactions. But, Balthazar continued. "His mother, rest her gra...uh, soul, is also gone. And though you, Sam, Dean, have not known Adam for terribly long, you have become dear family to him." Here, Adam looked down, face decidedly red. Ah, the good old Winchester emotional constipation.

Armaya jumped in at this point. "Castiel and Gabriel, you have also become family to Adam. Not brothers to him by blood, but by your bonds and your interactions with him. We come before you not just as those seeking the approval of the council, but as those seeking the approval of his family. Balthazar, Samandriel, and I, would like to court Adam formally. And when the time comes, we'd like your approval and acceptance in making him our mate."

Adam didn't move. He looked to be holding his breath, and his gaze was locked onto the floor between himself and the coffee table.

Samandriel's wings finally gave a nervous twitch, then fell still again.

Armaya looked almost placidly calm.

Balthazar still carried that look of taunting amusement, but it was betrayed by a nervous gleam in the depths of his eyes.

Sam kept a friendly but neutral expression on his face, but there was steady warmth and affection pulsing between himself and Gabriel. Leaving Gabriel to keep an eye on the four in front of him, Sam turned his head to look at Dean and Cas.

Dean was looking down at Cas, and Cas' head was tilted up and back to meet his gaze. They were in silent conversation, so Sam waited for his older brother to give hint of his train of thought before saying anything.

It took a minute, but Dean finally looked over at Sam. There was curiosity in his eyes. _What do you think of all this?_

Sam allowed fondness to slip into his gaze, giving a slow blink. _I think they're happy. Why not?_

Dean's eyes flicked down, then up. There was a faint uncertainty there. _What if it doesn't work? What if they hurt him?_

Sam gave a faint tilt of his head. _He grew without us, and we can't protect him from everything. We should let them try._

A small frown flickered over Dean's face, there and gone in less than half a second. An almost imperceptible nod and Sam turned back to the four before them.

That gleam from Balthazar's eyes was now reflecting in a subtle twitch at the tips of his wings. Armaya still looked calm, somehow. Adam and Samandriel were gripping onto one another's hands, knuckles white. I won't let you go, that hold said.

Sam gave them all a soft smile. "As Adam's family, you have our leave to court him. ...As his family," he continued, pretty much throwing in the next words on Dean's behalf, "we also promise that if you hurt him, if you break his heart? There'll be nothing left of any of you. ...And as the new or current council, what have you...we give you leave to mate, all four of you, so long as all involved are consenting," he said.

Samandriel was grinning, wings fluttering excitedly. Adam was looking back and forth between Dean and Sam with wide, slightly watery eyes. Armaya had the brightest smile Sam had ever seen out of her, and Balthazar was grinning so broadly, it looked like his face might crack in half.

Armaya schooled her expression a few moments later, though it was not without visible effort, and spoke again. "We are grateful to your all, as both Adam's family, and as our council. If you would permit, we will excuse ourselves."

"You are hereby dismissed. Go in peace, and remember the falling stars," Gabriel spoke.

Sam blinked, turning his head to Gabriel at the odd expression, which Cas echoed from nearby.

As Samandriel, Adam, and Armaya stood, moving to where Balthazar had been standing beside the sofa the entire time, the three angels before them spoke a quiet, "Praise the fallen stars." And then they were quickly pulling a just-as-confused Adam along, heading toward the stairs.

Sensing his confusion, Gabriel looked down at Sam. "Uhm...it's the dismissal of the council and the response from the departing company. I...I don't know the origins, it's just...the way it is," he said with a small frown, looking past Sam.

Sam turned his head to see a flicker of confusion over Cas' face as well.

Dean decided to let out an inelegant snort. "So much for actually remembering the falling stars, then, whatever that means," he said.

Sam couldn't help but face-palm at his brother's brash behavior in the face of a tradition, the origin of which Castiel and Gabriel didn't understand and were clearly disturbed by not knowing. He slid his hand away, then looked at Gabriel. "We'll ask Jivi and Hurzef about it later. I'm sure they have an idea," Sam soothed.

Gabriel pulsed gratefully and leaned down to place a kiss on Sam's forehead.

There was a brief moment of silence and peace before Dean spoke up. "Alright, well, we need groceries, and soon. I'll call Charlie up and see if she has a good store we can go to. It'd be a good idea to be back before lunch," he said.

Sam turned to look at Dean, nodding in agreement, before his brother headed off for the phone in the dining area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work was busy...but I managed to write! Sorry the fade out on this chapter was kinda lame....


	86. Chapter 86

When Dean came back, Cas had handed Jackie off to Sam. Sam couldn't help cooing at the little girl as she stared up at him, one of her arms free of the blanket she was swaddled in and flailing uncertainly in the air. Her eyes kept changing colors, too, and Sam tilted his head, watching her in open awe. She was precious, yes...but also so curious. One moment her eyes would be as blue as Cas'...another, they looked much like Sam's. Which was weird. Why wouldn't they turn as green as Dean's? They turned different shades of gold, too, like Gabriel's. But no green like Dean's...unless you counted the green specks when her eyes turned hazel again.

"-m. Sam!" Dean's voice came.

Sam snapped his head up, blinking at his big brother. "Uh...sorry," he said, cheeks heating.

Gabriel was pulsing with open amusement, and Cas seemed a good bit amused as well.

Dean stared for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Swoon over your own kids, when they get here. You can't have mine," he said.

Sam carefully didn't say anything in response to that, because Dean had just let out a huge vulnerability of his with that statement. He'd lost Ben...he wouldn't lose another child. He would probably kill himself or someone else before allowing that to happen.

After a moment, he shrugged, looking back down at Jackie. "Her eyes keep changing. It's interesting to watch," he admitted aloud.

"They do?" Gabriel said, awe filling him as he scooted a bit closer and looked over Sam's shoulder to confirm for himself.

Sam blinked, looking up with a curious frown. "Does that mean something?"

"Her eyes will never settle, and in time, she'll be able to change the color to suit her will. It's exceedingly rare, and something exalted. It tends to mean that the child expressing this trait will age slowly, once they've reached their prime. It is not unheard of for Nephil children to live over three hundred years," Cas spoke.

Nephil. Something sparked in Sam's mind at that word. Something he'd read...he'd have to look into that. "So Nephil...they're children that have color-changing eyes? But how does that translate into living for so long?" Sam asked.

"It's not quite as simple as that, Sammich. Their very grace is special. Not like a Guardian's, of course...not easily accessed like that, but it's...more. Uhm...angels, they have a certain amount of grace, really. It can be divided and replenished, but typically, it stays within a certain bounds, a typical amount that...is not easily quantified. But Nephil have more, and because of that, they tend to become grace-healers, because they're able to expend a great deal of grace in healing injuries."

Sam nodded slowly for a moment, watching Jackie flail as she kept her eyes locked on her uncle above. Sam smiled and cooed at her again, then looked up at Dean. "Alright, so Charlie have a good location for us to get the shopping done at?" he asked.

"Yeah. Roth's Fresh Markets in Salem, Oregon," Dean spoke.

Sam nodded, then glanced at Cas, Gabriel, and down to Jackie in his arms, before back up at Dean. "I think it should be the four of us who goes this time. I'm sure Loma wouldn't mind keeping an eye on Jackie if you don't wanna bring her," Sam spoke, casting another glance at Cas.

Cas' wings were ruffling, and Sam could guess it was at the thought of being separated from his infant child so soon. It was Dean that spoke up, though. "No. No, we'll...we'll take her with us. I'll be right back, I'm gonna get her carrier," he said, turning and heading for the elevator.

When Dean came back, almost ten minutes later, he had a carrier with him, and a diaper bag. He came over to the reading area, setting the carrier down by Cas, then headed for the kitchen wordlessly.

Cas reached for Jackie and Sam carefully handed the precious bundle over as his brother-in-law spoke. "Dean's making up some bottle, just in case. We'll be ready to go in a few moments."

Sam nodded, watching as Cas maneuvered a slowly-becoming-fussy Jackie into the carrier, starting to strap her in.

A thought occurred to Sam then. "Is it...is it really a good idea to teleport a newborn around?" he asked nervously.

Gabriel blinked, concern echoing from him for a moment, before he relaxed and shook his head. "She should be fine, Sammy. You teleported her before, when she was still growing inside Cassie. I much think that she's a bit more sturdy now than she was then," he spoke reassuringly.

Cas, who'd halted after Sam's question, relaxed and continued his task, nodding his agreement.

Sam relaxed as well, nodding a bit as well. "Alright," he said.

While they waited on Dean, Sam pulled out his phone and glanced at some pictures of the place they were going. He'd teleported blind before, and more than once. Hell, his first teleport had been blind and to a place he had never seen before (and didn't really care to ever see again). All the same, he didn't much like teleporting blind. He was much more at ease if he had a visual of where they were going. Plus...he didn't like thinking about the fact that he could teleport blind, and what it implied about the extent of that ability and the power behind it.

Minutes later, Cas was standing, holding the carrier, Dean at his side with the diaper bag. Sam took Gabriel's hand and placed a hand on Cas' shoulder. Dean took Cas' free hand, and Sam teleported, pulling his family along.

Landing at the back corner of the parking lot, Sam immediately started scanning the area, assessing every last person that so much as glanced their way, trying to deem if there was a threat from any of them. From the corner of his eye, he saw Dean doing the same. Cas and Gabe were both looking around warily, feeling the surge of protectiveness from their mates.

Sam tried to dial it back, he really did, but he wasn't so sure he was successful. He gave it a moment, then huffed out a sigh. "Come on. We wanted to be back before lunch," he pointed out, releasing Cas' shoulder and keeping ahold of Gabriel's hand as he headed past his big brother and toward the store.

It took about ten minutes of shopping for them all to begin to relax a bit more, and Sam decided to start up a conversation. The one he'd been thinking of having when he'd said the four of them should be the ones to head out for the needed excursion.

"So I've been thinking--"

"Well that's dangerous," Dean quipped.

Sam shot him a bitch face. "Anyway...actually, Gabe and I both were thinking--"

"Oh, now we're fucked," his brother chirped.

"I will smack the shit out of you, and we both know instinct will keep you from hitting me back, Dean-o," Gabriel spoke in a sugary-sweet voice.

Dean kept his mouth shut.

"We've got maybe four hundred angels inbound," Sam continued, not trying to restart again. "And while that will give us an expanded pool of people to consider for this council we're forming, I think we should also make some allowances for humans on it."

Cas' wings raised just a bit, showing surprise and a small hint of displeasure in the way they curled outward at the tips.

So Sam rushed on. "While this is their home now, it is originally a human planet, and as such, humans should be allowed a say in whatever movements angels make along the surface. Not a final say, of course...just an ability to express opinion, at the very least. Not to mention, having humans on the council will invoke good will between angels and humans, and may make the governing parties of the world more open to peaceful interaction and negotiation."

Cas was relaxing at that, but Dean's wings were being held tensely. "I have a feeling you have suggestions already?" he ventured.

Sam glanced at him from beside a meat case. "...Please don't yell in the middle of a store?" His request was met with a stony stare from Dean. Sam sighed heavily, looking back down and browsing the packages of hamburger meat. "Moon Queen, for one, and probably a few heroes she recommends and believes would be suitable to such a position. ...And..." he began, trailing off.

His wings twitched sharply at Dean's flat, "Say it."

"...Scottish Witch and King," Sam spoke, starting to pick up a few packages.

Surprisingly, Dean did not yell. But he looked pissed.

However, a glance at Cas showed his brother-in-law to be sedate about it all, and Sam was sure he'd have Dean calming soon enough. So Sam waited for his brother to cool off and resume the conversation, continuing to work on his shopping.

Sam was so wrapped up in between the shopping and residual tension from gaining his brother's ire that he didn't notice that it had faded in to protective worry. It took a sharp stab of concern and worry from Gabriel to gain his attention. His eyes flew to his mate and he froze, eyes darting around at a small group of humans lurking near them, all shooting glares and sneers their way.

Cas had Jackie in her carrier still, resting in the top part of the grocery basket, and was trying to get closer to her, wings twitching wildly with the urge to flare up in defense. But it seemed Cas knew enough of humans to realize that it could be taken as an aggressive stance instead, and could bring these people down on their heads in a bad way.

Sam took a calming breath and gently soothed his mate through their link as he stepped past him and Dean, putting him between his brother and their mates, and this crowd.

"Is there something we can help with?" he spoke in a calm voice.

And that seemed to open the floodgates for the vitriol these humans had to spew.

"Fags!" "Freaks, abominations!" "You're going to kill us all off, admit it!" "Sick perversions!"

"Die!"

Sam's eyes widened, not at the onslaught of hateful words, but at the sight of someone from the back of the group flinging forth a fucking Molotov Cocktail.

In the middle of a grocery store.

What the ever loving fuck?!

The trajectory...it was going to fly past him, on his right, toward Dean, Cas, and Jackie.

Like hell.

This was going to hurt, but he could handle it. He would handle it.

His wing shot out and intercepted the bottle. And unfortunately, as he suspected it would be, his wing was firm enough to cause the bottle to shatter. Flames shot up and over his wing in a quick burst, and Sam went to his knees, too breathless to scream his agony.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled out.

Sam couldn't focus on him, could only feel burning agony trying to consume his right wing...and some sort of unbridled, pure rage pouring from Gabriel.

"Shit," he heard Dean breathe out over the yelling of the humans in front of them.

Sam choked out a sob from the pain in his wing, but the flames had suddenly died out without so much as a hint of smoke in their wake. He tried to look up and regain his bearings, assess the current situation.

Cas was still by Jackie, hovering protectively by the now-wailing infant.

Dean was kneeling beside Sam, but his eyes were on Sam's other side, an edge of panic in them.

The humans were still yelling, but most of it seemed panicked now.

...Gabriel was beautiful.

Sam stared, back and to his left, seeing his mate's eyes glowing, and...that halo that the others had discussed, that Gabriel had shared with him in memory, was arched over his head. As Jivi had said, it had words. But unlike Jivi, Sam could read the Enochian that was a different tone of light than the rest of the halo.

Bles _sed_. The Enochian stressed the latter part of the word, making it obvious that it wasn't so much that Gabriel was blessed, but that his status was no longer Sentinel. But Blessed.

It took longer than it should have for Sam to look back at the group that was still spewing hate, but seemed to be trying to draw away from them now. ...None of them were being burned alive. So Gabriel had some sense in there.

Rising to his feet was more painful than he'd expected. It wasn't his legs that were suffering third degree burns, but his right wing. It seemed that hardly mattered to his protesting body, though. All the same, he managed to stand, Dean only kicking into gear to help him after a few seconds of struggle.

When he was on his feet, though, Sam moved away from his brother and into Gabriel's line of sight. Gabriel's expression went from one of unadultered rage and aggression, to a blank mask. The rage was still pulsing out of him heavily, though. It seemed that whatever had specifically triggered the initial change in him made it so that Gabriel entered this state far more easily.

But now Sam needed to draw him out of it. He reached up, cupping Gabriel's beautiful face in his hands. The glowing honey-amber of his golden eyes moved almost immediately, meeting Sam's own hazel hues. Smiling warmly, Sam leaned down, touching his forehead to Gabriel's. He needed to heal his wing, he knew that. Could feel his body trying to go into shock. But, he told himself, Gabriel was more important right now.

Out of nowhere, he knew what to say. A book Dean had read to him a few times, when they were children. It'd been Dean's favorite, that their mother had read to him. "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be," he whispered softly.

Gabriel blinked slowly. A couple more seconds passed, and the halo was gone, his eyes dimming back to their normal shine. Gabriel radiated confusion, and it echoed in his expression. "Sam?" he spoke quietly.

"Everything's alright. Everything's okay," he assured.

"The hell it is!" Dean barked, even as Gabriel's eyes were landing on Sam's burnt wing, widening in horror that flooded their bond.

"Oh, Father, Sam!" his mate spoke, eyes snapping back to Sam's own gaze.

...Definitely in shock now. Sam could tell. Mostly because he couldn't really feel the wing anymore. His eyes moved to the groceries in the carts. The crowd behind him was still spitting their atrocities, and seemed to be regaining their footing about it now that Gabriel wasn't glowing any more.

Sighing, Sam stood back up straight.

Castiel seemed to have already judged the situation, because he was at Dean's side with Jackie in her carrier, grabbing onto his mate's hand. Dean looked at Cas, blinking, then looked over at Sam, reaching out a hand to him. Sam took it, then looked back at Gabriel, giving a faint warm smile as he slid his hand into his mate's hand.

Without a word or backward glance at the hateful humans, Sam took them all home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder!
> 
> It's the first of the month next week!
> 
> Sooooo...that means there won't be any new chapters on Monday or Tuesday, possibly including Wednesday. We usually have everything caught up at work by the end of the first couple of days, but there's always a chance that it'll spill onto the third day. As such, no new chapters for the next 4-5 days.
> 
> Thanks for reading, thanks for your patience, and as ever, I hope you enjoy!


	87. Chapter 87

They landed in their usual spot, somewhat between the kitchen and dining area, but more toward the living room.

Crowley and Alicia sat at the end of the table closest to the kitchen, toward the living room. Alicia didn't really look up, used to Sam teleporting about, but Crowley did. For a second, he seemed to dismiss them, but then he did a double-take, jumping up.

"Bloody hell!" he cursed aloud. That startled Alicia enough to make her follow the villain's gaze and her eyes went wide as they landed on Sam's badly burnt wing.

"Sam??" she spoke, voice loud with her concern as she began to rise from her seat.

Gabriel was noticing all this in his periphery. He couldn't really take his worried eyes off of Sam.

Sam had echoes of pain, but was seemingly otherwise numb to it. That didn't bode well for his physical or mental state. Slowly, he turned his head to look at his wing. From what Gabriel could see, he was staring at it rather blankly, like he wasn't even sure it was attached to him.

Where their hands were still clasped together, Gabriel gave a gentle squeeze. "Heal it, kiddo," he prompted softly.

Others from the compound were coming closer to see what was going on; some of them new arrivals, most of them of the **_Bilum_ **and **_Lurbardr_ **and understanding something had happened. Especially since there wasn't a lick of the groceries they'd left to get in sight.

Sam's hands glowed for a moment, and then that glow shifted into his damaged wing. Burnt, charred, and melted feathers flaked away and dropped to the ground, and flesh healed over. Within a couple of minutes, the underside of his wing was nothing but smooth, naked flesh, and parts of the outside of the wing were bald as well, where they fire had wrapped around it.

Dean and Cassie were close still, both watching him worriedly. Cassie had set the carrier down by this time and freed Jackie from it, calming her from where she'd still been fussing after what had happened in the store.

Everything was silent, everyone watching and waiting. It seemed they were waiting on Sam to speak up, but Gabriel's mate was just staring blankly at his now-healed wing.

It seemed that King couldn't handle the lack of explanation for long, because mere moments later, he let out a demanding (even if it was on the side of quiet), "What in all the bloody world is going on? _What happened_??"

Sam's wings gave an abortive twitch, and Gabriel couldn't pick up what that meant beyond a slight startle, despite their bond.

"Some asshats decided to attack us. It was verbal for all of three seconds, and then someone threw a fucking Molotov Cocktail. In the middle of a _damned grocery store_ with a _baby right fucking there_ , they threw--" Dean started, wings and feathers rucking high in agitation, but eyes staying on his younger brother.

Crowley stared at Dean for a long few seconds, then snorted. "Well, I do hope you dealt with them."

That snagged Sam's attention. And his ire. " _Dealt_ with them? And how would you have us do that, Crowley? Kill them and prove them right? Kill them, and bring the whole of the world down on our heads?" Sam spoke in a seething hiss.

Crowley blinked, having never encountered Sam's anger directly and being wholly unexpecting of it.

It was Alicia that jumped in before anyone else could. "You're being a hypocrite, Sam," she said, standing firm as his gaze snapped to hers, his wings giving a jerk in surprise. "You are. You expect us all to, what? Sit back and be fine with you being hurt at the hands of others? But it's perfectly okay for you to go around and kill people when those you care about are hurt? ...You killed Phil. And while I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do or not...I appreciate it. Because when I wake in the middle of the night from another one of those damned nightmares, I'm able to calm more easily, more quickly, knowing that he's dead and can never hurt me, never reach me again."

Sam was pulsing with understanding, but he wasn't quite in full agreement. Not until he felt Gabriel's own pulse of agreement. Sam turned his gaze onto his mate, giving a weak smile and acquiescing fully to Alicia's point. Sam then turned his gaze to Crowley, who was looking largely disgruntled and untrusting. "...I'm sorry," he spoke, tone filled with his genuineness.

Crowley blinked, staring almost slack-jawed. That'd clearly been the last thing he'd expected. It took a few seconds for him to compose himself once again. When he did, he gave a short nod of acknowledgement before his eyes tracked back to Sam's wing. "I'd try to avoid Mother, if you can. She'll be most displeased when she discovers this, and then you'll have to deal with her ranting and fussing," he spoke with an amused air.

Sam gave a faint laugh, glancing at Gabriel, then looking over at Dean. "Yeah...that's going to happen from others anyway," he said with a small smirk.

"Damn straight it is! Up to the medical station, _now_. I want to make sure there's no lingering effects from shock," Dean huffed.

Sam groaned, then sighed. "Fine. Fine, but call Moon Queen? At this rate, we're never going to get any damned groceries in here, so maybe she can arrange some to be air-lifted in or something," he spoke, a faint bit of weariness tinging his tone.

Dean frowned a bit, but nodded, heading for the phone on the wall after letting go of Cassie's hand. As he went, Sam moved to let go of Gabriel's hand and start for the medical station, but Gabriel held firm, instead stepping to fall in line beside him. Sam shot him a loving smile that was echoed through their connection as they made their way to the elevator.

When they entered the medical station of the **_Bilum_** , Nariel was there and talking to Rowena, Mikiye sitting at his desk and puttering about with a tablet. Nariel looked up at their arrival first, starting to smile until he caught sight of Sam's mostly naked right wing. He paled instantly, mouth dropping open wide and speech screeching to a halt.

It was enough, more than enough, for Rowena to see what had garnered the teal-winged Nester's attention. She looked over, and her eyes widened. "Samuel?? What has happened? Are ye alright?" she spoke hurriedly, starting toward them.

Sam pushed forth a weak smile. "Just a minor issue. Nothing serious, really. Just need Nariel to confirm I'm not in shock or anything still," he said.

"Shock? What is this about shock? Why would ye go into shock? _What happened??_ " she demanded.

Mikiye was shuffling over too, now, eyes wide as she stared at the bald flesh of the wing.

Sam shifted uncomfortably under their attention, eyes darting about as if seeking an escape route.

So Gabriel decided it was up to him. "Something called a Molotov Cocktail happened," he piped up. Sam's free hand slapped over his own face and he groaned lowly. "We were grocery shopping, and someone thought it'd be a good idea to throw one at us. Well, actually, more in Cassie and Dean-o's direction. Sam put his wing in the way," he supplied.

Rowena blinked, eyes now on Gabriel. "...Wasn't wee Jackie with ye?" she spoke, tone quiet and bordering on dangerous. Gabriel eyed her, giving a hesitant nod. The Witch's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "And where was this?" she spoke in a purring hiss.

Sam pulled his hand down slightly, staring at her. "Ro--"

The red-head's gaze snapped to him. "Bad enough they do someone like ye harm, Samuel, but I'll not stand for someone attempting to harm a babe!" she snapped out. "Where?!" she demanded loudly.

Sam frowned, pulling his hand away completely. "Ro, they're gone by now. It doesn't matter, alright? And what's it gonna say to the world if you go after them anyway, huh?"

"That ye cannae get away with such things, such vile hatred!"

Sam stared at her, waiting for her ire to come down just a bit. "But this happens all the time, all over the world," he began gently. "You can't go off on some random people, Rowena. Yes, what they did is an act of cowardice and hatred, but the fact of the matter is that it happens all the time. That people do this to others all the time, even within their own species. ...We're lucky this wasn't something worse, that it was kept from being worse," he beseeched.

Rowena was pretty much still vibrating with anger. It took a few moments, but she reined herself in, huffing out a heavy breath. "At some point, Sam, ye will have to push back. If not for your sake, then for the sake of those that have yet to arrive. Surely ye wouldn't want the humans thinking they can walk all over them?" she prompted with a raised brow.

Sam blinked, then frowned. He gave a small nod, but was otherwise quiet as he seemed to be considering a solution there. With that, Gabriel looked over to Nariel and began tugging Sam further into the room and toward a bed, gesturing to his mate so that Nariel would be snapped into looking him over. Indeed, the Nester snapped-to readily, grabbing up a couple of devices and starting to scan them over Sam no sooner had he taken a seat.

Sam was cleared, barely half an hour later. He may have been in shock earlier, but it seemed to have passed already. Sam took a moment to assess their triplets' well being, and once he assured Gabriel all was well, they headed back downstairs.

The scene that met them was somewhat surprising. Crowley had apparently said something to Dean that had the Guardian staring at him in something akin to shock. Alicia bore a faint look of surprise as well, standing near them, and Crowley had a smug air about him.

"Guys? What's going on?" Sam spoke as they approached.

Dean blinked, recovering, and looked Sam over to assure himself of his little brother's wellbeing.

Crowley took the moment to fill Sam in on what was happening.

"Apparently your Moon Queen had some difficulty in making the necessary arrangements to have food brought in. ...So I made a call. It wasn't too much of anything, of course, but there will be food to put away by the time lunch is passed," he said with a flippant wave of his hand.

Sam blinked in surprise, and then smiled. "Thank you, Crowley," he spoke earnestly.

The villain just gave a short nod, his eyes dancing to Alicia. A faint smile then lit his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I worked on this chapter, and on the one for Aren't You Special?, all freaking day.
> 
> This one wound up much shorter than I'd like, and the one for AUS wound up surprisingly long.
> 
> I blame work, though. I'd get all nice and caught up, and then BAM, another thing for me to type up a manifest for, run through our printing program, and get started on printing. I'd put the job number on the report, get everything squared away, and then BAM! another.  
> *twitches lots*
> 
> But! Here you are, roughly 1800 words and a peek at another ship. ...Do you see? Do you like?
> 
> I hope you enjoy!


	88. Chapter 88

Lunch came and went, and the pantry and refrigerator both were down to the barest of items, and none of it would make a proper meal when slapped together. Hell, lunch had barely been something they could count as a proper meal.

But as Crowley had promised, supplies were soon landing in front of the compound, a good bit of distance away from Mefusa, Max, and Heturi's tightly-wound trees.

Two huge shipping containers filled with food.

The whole of the compound had stepped outside when they'd heard the helicopters; Sam, Dean, Max, and the humans trying to figure out what was going on, and the angels curious because of the new noise they'd yet to encounter.

When the containers were settled on the ground, Sam whipped around to see Crowley some feet back, a smug grin on his face.

"...That...I'm not...I don't know if we have enough...space," Sam spoke uncertainly, turning a bit to look back at the containers, then looking back at Crowley. "Yeah, we...there's not enough--"

"Mm, that's something easily solved, if you would care to allow one of my drones out here...?" Crowley said with a shrug.

It was then that Dean, standing at Sam's side, whipped around. "...Dude, did you just call yourself a queen bee?"

Crowley blinked a couple of times, then shot Dean an almost pouty frown. "Shut your trap. Am I calling help out here or not?" he huffed.

Sam wondered...who was Crowley going to call out there, and how could they possibly help with their storage space issue? In all, he found...it was fine by him. Sure, he'd snapped at Crowley earlier, and found that in some part of him, he didn't fully trust the King of villains, but...he did trust him a good deal, overall.

Still...this wasn't a decision to make on his own. His mind reached out to Gabriel, pressing gently for his opinion. In that same moment, he was also looking at Dean, catching his gaze and allowing a bit of silent communication to ask for his opinion as well.

Dean blinked for a moment, stilling, and Sam knew that he was asking Cas' opinion just as Sam was with Gabe.

Gabriel had already sent back an agreement, so now Sam was just waiting on their brothers.

After a long couple of moments, Dean gave a hesitant frown, but nodded.

Sam looked back at Crowley, who was watching the two formerly human brothers with a faint look of amusement. Tempted to add a caveat, Sam pushed the urge down and offered up a small smile. "We would appreciate it, Crowley," he spoke sincerely. At some point, Sam told himself, he was going to have to properly thank the villain. After all, he wasn't being asked for anything; he was offering.

Crowley, in turn, gave a short nod and whipped out a phone, stepping away. Sam turned back to Dean. "Let's get what we can put away for now. I'm sure there's plenty of refrigerated and frozen items in there," he said.

Half an hour later, and they'd squared away all they possibly could. It was then that someone arrived...a villain, if Sam had to guess, but one of those that didn't have a presence to him.

"Andrew, nice of you to join us," Crowley drawled as the masked man stepped into the compound.

Andrew grimaced at that, promptly removing his mask, his eyes darting about. "No probs, boss. So uh...you said something about a subspace needed?" he spoke, gaze still moving about quickly as he took in the wings of every last angel in sight.

"Mm, quite. I was hoping you could expand the pantry a bit for us...and if it's not terribly much of a strain, it could use shelves, refrigerators, and deep freezers to help in keeping food," the King spoke, tone dry, but eyes humored as he watched his 'drone' taking in the 'sights.'

"Mhm, sure...uh--" Andrew began, looking over at Crowley then, finally allowing his attention to focus. "...The pantry?" he asked, eyes moving toward the kitchen.

"I'll show you," Sam volunteered, stepping forward and extending his hand. "Sam Winchester," he said by way of introduction.

"Andy Gallagher. Nice ta meet'cha," he spoke with a broad, easy smile.

Villain he may be, but as Sam shook his hand, he decided he liked this guy alright.

With little else to be said, Sam turned and led the way to the pantry, just off to the side of the kitchen and across the way from the laundry area. Sam opened the pantry door for him, stepping aside, and Andy halted at seeing it packed full. He frowned just a bit, then huffed a sigh, shrugging and rolling his shoulders as he leaned forward, eyeing the ceiling of the space, then the floor.

He leaned back then, hands in his pockets as he shut his eyes.

Sam watched him for a moment, a curious frown starting to pull at his lips before he glanced back at the pantry.

It was...moving. Well, no. Not moving. There was a shimmer about it, though. Like how heat rises off a surface (though there was definitely no temperature fluctuation that Sam could feel). Staring into the pantry closet and watching, Sam startled badly enough for his wings to snap up and knock Andy to the ground, when all of a sudden, the pantry was the size of the dining room all at once.

There were shelves along the left side of the wall and onto the back wall; what had already been stored in there took up but a small amount of that space toward the left. Along the right wall were six industrial sized refrigerators, and eight giant deep freezers.

Sam slowly stepped in, casting a quick apology over his shoulder to Andy as the man spluttered from being knocked on his ass. ...There were lights above him, much like the ones over the kitchen's island counter. Turning revealed a switch on the inside of the doorway. There were also a couple of outlets spaced out under the shelves of the left and back walls, too.

All this...without so much as a power fluctuation to the compound's electrical systems. And the power in the pantry was obviously working; the lights were on, and he could hear the hum of the large kitchen appliances.

"...Wait, did you just offset the building's structure?" Sam spoke after a moment, turning to look at Andy.

"Nope! Turned your pantry into a Tardis; it's now bigger on the inside," Andy spoke with a beaming grin.

"...Dude, that's a really awesome power. ...What else can you do?"

"Mm, that's it. Subspaces and some inorganic creations. It's handy...but also tiring. Can I uh...couch surf for a few hours?" Andy said with a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, definitely! ...Just one quick question? ...How stable is this?" Sam ventured, suddenly a bit uneasy as he moved to walk back out.

"Oh, fully stable, and permanent. I uh...it's a long story, but suffice it to say that it'll be here long after I'm gone," the human replied, looking a bit put off by what he saying that aloud.

Sam was curious, but he didn't pry. Instead, he shot Andy a grateful smile, patting him on the shoulder. He then gestured to the reading area. "I'd offer you a room to nap in, but we are literally over capacity. That sofa is your best bet; even if someone wanders over there, they're likely to do so to read and will be quiet.

Andy shot him a grateful smile, then turned and walked off.

"Handy little bugger, isn't he?" Crowley spoke from the kitchen.

"...I will say that yes, he is, but I don't feel comfortable treating him as a means to an end," Sam said with a faint frown.

Crowley gave a shrug. He was quiet for a long moment, then looked over toward the dining room where Alicia and Rowena sat, speaking over something that had them both smiling amicably. King looked back at Sam, lips pulling into a slight grimace. "Tell me, baby Winchester--"

"That would actually be Adam," Sam cut in with a smirk.

Crowley shot him a flat stare, then rolled his eyes. "Alright, middle-child. Tell me...what are your thoughts on...fraternizing with the enemy, as it were?"

Sam smiled like the cat that had not only gotten into the cream, but successfully snagged the canary as well. "Mm, I don't think you should be asking me. I think you'd best get Max's opinion on that. Or even more importantly, Alicia's."

Crowley scowled, but it carried no heat, just the strong feeling of the man's discomfort. "You're far too observant and astute, you know that?"

Sam gave a half-shrug. "In my line of work...hell, in yours, we have to be. Right?"

Crowley let out a short sound of agreement, eyes tracking to something unseen. "If only half the morons under my purview could understand that and make something of an effort," he huffed.

Sam blinked and recalled a few things in that moment. ...He needed to go speak with Dean, Gabriel, and Cas, and finish up their conversation from the grocery store earlier. That could be done while they worked to fill up the pantry and its appliances.

But for the moment, he gave Crowley a warm, genuine smile. "This may make you uncomfortable, because you don't seem like one to expect it, much less receive it often, but...thank you. Genuinely, Crowley, from the depths of my very being, thank you," Sam began. Crowley's eyes shot up to meet his in startled surprise and Sam gave a sheepish shrug, eyes darting away. "Honestly, we would've never thought to ask anything of you, wouldn't have thought you'd be willing to help us with much of anything...and that's a poor judgement of you on our part. Especially when you've offered up so much in so little time. ...We're natural enemies by our very natures, but you seem to have put aside your own in helping us. ...I can't speak for anyone besides myself...and Gabriel, since we share so much between us. I've barely known you a few days, but...I consider you a friend, Crowley. And if you're not of the mindset, that's fine. It is. If we're nothing more than a curiosity to you, it's fine. But your actions are appreciated, and you deserve to know that," Sam said.

He met Crowley's eyes again, but the man was stunned silent. Sam huffed a humored breath, giving another half-shrug, then turned to get his mate, brother, and brother-in-law to work on finishing emptying the containers outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is apparently a day of short chapters...both for this and AYS.
> 
> Sorry?
> 
> But there's some things that are mostly important in both stories, soooooo...yeah.


	89. Chapter 89

It wasn't until the fourth or so trip into the pantry with the absurd amount of food still waiting to be put away, that Sam decided to broach the subject. "So...about what we were discussing before the...incident," Sam spoke, looking at a shelf as he unloaded his arms.

He could practically feel the tension ratcheting from behind him, where Dean was trying to get frozen items put away.

"...I haven't really had time to consider it much more, Sammy," his brother spoke, just on the edge of quiet, bare seconds later.

That had Sam relaxing a good bit. Dean _was_ actually considering it, and that meant he'd most likely come to agree. It certainly helped that Crowley had had food dropped for the compound, and brought in someone to essentially expand their storage areas.

"Well," Gabriel piped up from in front of one of the fridges. "As Sammich stated back at the store, we both were thinking of it...so it should be a given that I'm in agreement," he said over his shoulder.

From the fridge next to Gabriel, Cas spoke up as well. "I am of a similar opinion. And, it would be most prudent having such a valuable resource on the council we're forming as well."

"Exactly, baby bro!"

Dean huffed and Sam chanced a glance back. His brother's wings were twitching irritably. "Guys," he began in a firm, flat tone. "...Just...let me have time to think it over, alright? I want to...figure out the angles and all, on my own," he finished with another huff.

"Yeah. Of course, Dean...we just...we wanted our opinions known, that's all. And...and given the weight of this decision, it's not a majority rules kind of verdict. Either we're all in agreement on this, or it doesn't happen. And we're not going to fault you if you disagree," Sam rushed to assure his brother.

Seeing Dean's wings shift to a relaxed neutral position, he knew that he'd alleviated a great deal of concern for the oldest Winchester.

Sam and Dean were cooking dinner that night, with their mates nearby. There were a few other angels around the kitchen as well, and idle conversation passed around.

The newest arrivals were doing pretty well, settling in decently despite how short a time they'd been there.

The purple winged Nester that had effectively spoken for the crews of the _Hmriti_ , _Jik_ , and _Pliy_ , was glancing at the food Sam was cooking with no small amount of curiosity.

Sam looked over at her, giving a friendly small as he watched her wings twitching in wonder. "I don't mean to be rude," he began. At that, she blinked up at him and took a step back, wings snapping tight to her back. He tried to ease her with another friendly smile. "...but I never did catch your name," he prompted.

The woman blinked owlishly, feathers rucking as her cheeks flushed pink. "Ah. I...I apologize. My name is Ariel Copsbli," she said, forcing a smile.

Sam blinked, then chuckled and gave a nod. "Ariel's actually a somewhat common name on Earth," he informed, turning back to the pierogies he was sautéing. "So far, that makes you the second angel with a name we use here," he told her.

"Who's the first?" she queried.

"Gabriel," Sam answered, glancing at her again. He then noticed Andy, lingering somewhat off to the side, and he turned a bit more to observe.

Andy was looking over everyone and everything, taking it all in. There was curiosity and puzzlement in his gaze for a moment, and then some kind of want reflected in his expression, quickly followed by determination. In a matter of seconds, he was turning and walking toward Crowley, who was lingering near the front door with his mother.

Sam wondered, for a moment, what was going on with him. However, Ariel quickly drew his attention back to her as she continued their conversation.

"How odd, that there would be names shared between our worlds," she spoke, shuffling nearer to his side as her eyes went back to the food. "...What are those?" she asked.

"Potato and cheese pierogi; I'm cooking them in a butter and sage sauce to go with the meatloaf that's in the oven. It'll all be done pretty soon, actually...would you mind getting some others and starting to gather everyone for dinner?" he ventured.

Ariel still looked confused over the food, but contented over the smells. She nodded, though, and headed off.

Crowley, Rowena, and Andy took seats at the end of the table where Dean, Cas, Sam, and Gabriel sat. Alicia sat down there too, but this time, she had taken a seat right beside Crowley. Sam was curious as to if he'd already spoken to her about 'fraternization.'

Oddly, Max sat at that end of the table, too, though he had been sitting closer to the middle since mating with Mefusa and Heturi. Likely because they tended to like the middle of the table. But something had Max sitting close by, and of course, his mates sat with him.

It was halfway through the meal, when Crowley spoke up. "Isn't this odd for you lot?" he began, glancing past Alicia at Max, then over to Sam, and finally to Dean.

"What, the angels?" Dean piped up.

Max was leaning forward just a bit to see Crowley, and appeared curious as well.

"I think he means having a few villains in our presence," Alicia piped up with a soft chuckle.

"Oh," Max spoke up. "...Not gonna lie, yeah, it's weird as fuck. Or...well, it was, but..." he started, frowning a bit before shrugging. "Assuming you've been square with us, we've gotten to know you guys. And uh...ya know, y'all are pretty cool, actually. I mean, obviously there's plenty of villains out there that aren't, but..."

Sam took the reins. "As Max said, assuming that you've been upfront with us, assuming that you're working without ulterior motives and deceit...quite frankly, you and Rowena have become friends, Crowley. And Andy, we barely know you yet, but you're really laid back from what I've seen. I imagine you could fall into that category as well," he said.

Andy shot Sam a grateful smile.

Crowley let out a considering hum, eyes moving to Dean. Dean didn't say anything and didn't really seem to be focusing on Crowley at all. Sam guessed that he was working through his own thoughts, but he wasn't disagreeing, it seemed.

Finally, Crowley turned his gaze onto Alicia.

When Alicia did little more than offer him a soft, warm smile, Crowley gave a short nod.

When dinner ended, Sam made to work on dishes. Gabriel was suffering a bit of fatigue, so he kissed his mate's forehead, bid him to relax in the living room, and made to start gathering plates.

...Crowley joined him.

When they reached the kitchen with the first load of their cleaning burden, the villain spoke up.

"Andrew wishes to stay a while. He claims to enjoy the atmosphere here," Crowley began.

Sam blinked as he started rinsing dishes, frowning slightly. "I...I meant what I said at the table, Crowley. He does seem pretty cool, but...you know we're dealing with space issues," he pointed out.

"I'm aware, and I pointed it out to him. He can make the space he needs, he would just need to know where he could create it. But he's uncertain if he'd be welcome."

Sam frowned a bit, looking at Crowley. "...What aren't you telling me? What exactly did he say?"

The villain's lips pursed and he glanced around. There were a few angels milling about nearby, working on cleaning as well, but none had ventured into the kitchen just yet. Crowley huffed a sigh. "God, this is going to make me sound like I'm a caring person with _feelings_ ," he expressed, the last word laden with disgust.

"Feelings are bad, huh? Then uh...what about this whole thing with Alicia?"

"That's not feelings, you simpleton! That's admiration for a beautiful, cunning, and respectful mind," he huffed.

"Uh huh. Yeah. Anyway, you were saying?" Sam said, not hiding his disbelief in the least.

Crowley leveled him with a glare for a few seconds, then huffed. "Young Andrew grew up on the streets, until I found him in his early teens. It was before he manifested his power for the first time, but something about the boy drew me. Maybe it has to do with how well he managed to pick my pocket. I'd've not known if one of my lackeys hadn't managed to catch him as he darted away. Good at that, he is, though he may be out of practice by now. I digress," he said with a flippant wave of his hand. "I took him in, told him I'd been seeking him out because he was of a hero bloodline, and I wanted his power in my purview, when it came about. Obviously it was a lie. I had not a solitary clue as to who he was or if he'd ever manifest power or not."

"But he did," Sam jumped in.

Crowley gave a nod. "He did. Not but two weeks later. ...Learning control over that power took years. He's been an invaluable resource, on top of it all. ...A few years back, he asked me about it all, and I...I tried to brush it off, but he pushed with questions I couldn't answer immediately. You'd think I'd have been prepared, but I foolishly was not. When he called me on it, I wound up exposing the truth of it all. I expected him to be upset in some capacity. ...He wasn't. He was grateful to me, said I'd given him a chance at life, when he'd likely have been dead by that point.

"Andrew became a son to me," Crowley continued, frowning a bit. Sam wondered at that, wondered what he had buried underneath what he was exposing now. "And we came to have more regular conversations. I eventually came to learn, more through observance than through our talks, that while he had shelter, he did not feel he had a home."

Crowley quieted for a moment, and that was all it took for it to click for Sam. "He feels something like that here," he posited.

With a huff, Crowley nodded. "It does make sense, in a way. Where he lives now, it's my most used stomping ground, a headquarters of sorts. He has what amounts to an apartment there, but there's always villains about once he steps outside his rooms. The interactions he has the most are with people that...are not like him. Andrew...while he lives smack dab in the middle of evil, is a loyal force of good. He's suffered for it, Sam. He saw something here that he wants to experience more of. If he did not desperately want it, he would never have spoken of it to me. ...So I'm...I'm asking a favor. I'm asking that you allow Andrew, that you allow the man that is essentially my son, to stay here."

Crowley wasn't looking at him, and that proved just how much he'd bitten back his pride to ask for this.

So, answering quickly as he could upon that observance, Sam said, "We'd be happy to welcome him, Crowley. We would. Dean might have a hissy fit for a minute, but don't worry about it. He'll be fine once he gets used to him. I imagine that he has things he'll want to grab from his uh...apartment, first?"

Crowley nodded, but was otherwise still. Sam frowned a bit and reached up, gripping the man's shoulder. When Crowley met his concerned gaze, Sam searched his face, trying to guess at his thoughts. After a moment, he gave a faint smile. "We'll do our best to keep him safe, too," he ventured.

Crowley relaxed under his hand and gave a short nod. He then cleared his throat, stepping forward a bit and turning to go gather more dishes. His, "Thank you," as he retreated was quiet enough that Sam wasn't entirely certain he'd heard it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You gais.
> 
> I'm sorry.
> 
> I have little in the way of excuses.
> 
> I only woke to eat and do laundry on Saturday.
> 
> Sunday, I was a ball of procrastination. Didn't write, didn't do school work...just slept and read fanfic. ...I am of the ashamed.
> 
> Monday, I intended to write on My Name Is Human, and on Aren't You Special?
> 
> My muse pushed another idea at me, and I spent the whole of my free time during the work day, yesterday, writing on it. It's not done yet, it's presently over 10k in words, but it's a one-shot, and should be done within the next few days, provided I get enough time to work on it between MNIH and AYS.
> 
> I had to redirect my muse's attention forcibly this morning, but here we are, with another chappie, finally.
> 
> I love you guys, please forgib me.


	90. Chapter 90

By the time Andy came back the next day, Sam had already taken Kevin and Adam back to their dorm room.

The parting between the courting nest had been far more tender than usual. Likely because they'd all made their affections clearly known, and didn't want to leave room for doubt any further.

Dean had neared in an obvious ploy to try and tease his youngest brother, but a quick glare from Sam had him raising his hand in defense and backing away slowly.

Their oldest sibling could tease Adam another time. Not this time, though.

When Andy did arrive, a couple of hours later with a lone duffel bag hanging from his shoulder, Sam had eyed it for a moment, before pointing at it. "Mary Poppins bag?"

"You know it!" Andy had replied with a broad grin.

Sam chuckled and nodded in return. "So...uh, I haven't had a chance to figure out exactly what room you can use your ability on just yet, but--"

"Oh, Mimi said I could work my power on her room," Andy interrupted.

Sam blinked and stared, long enough for Andy to start shifting uncomfortably. "Mimi. ...I'm never letting her live that down," he mused.

Andy grinned and started laughing, and Sam led the way to the room Rowena had claimed for her own.

When they reached the room, the human opened the door, eyeing the interior, then sighed in a put-upon way. When Sam looked at him and gave a curious tilt of his head, Andy met his gaze with a rueful smile. "Mimi gave some specifications she wanted for her part of the suite I'm going to be conjuring up here. I usually try to work with what I've already given, but with what she wants...there's not going to be much I won't have to completely overhaul," he explained.

Sam pursed his lips in sympathy and gave a slight shrug. "She does seem to like her opulence. I'm going to go make you a snack. I imagine you're going to crash soon after you're done, but I have a feeling it'd be a good idea if you eat before sleep."

Andy's eyes lit up with happiness and warmth. "Dude, that would be so great. Thanks," he said.

Sam nodded and turned to go scrounge up a couple of sandwiches and some chips.

When he came back, ten minutes later, the hall was empty, but the door was open. Peeking in, Sam's eyebrows went up into his hairline. He was pretty sure that the sitting area of the suite had been done to Rowena's tastes, too, even if Andy was sitting on the plush chaise lounge looking very much at home.

It was all rich burgundies and reds with warm cream accents. ...And there was a freaking chandelier in the middle of the room lighting it all up. A crystal chandelier.

Andy was watching him with a faint look of amusement on his features, that blew into a full on grin when Sam let out a low whistle at the sheer decadence of the room. "Nice job. I have a feeling Ro's gonna love it," he said, stepping forward and holding out the plate to the newest addition to the compound.

"Thanks! Honestly, I think I mighta outdone myself on this one," he said, flashing a look of gratitude as he took the offered food.

"So...question, and don't feel obligated to answer, but uh...Crowley's like Rowena, isn't he? I mean...he stopped aging, right?"

Andy flashed a grin and gave a short nod in answer as he bit into one of the sandwiches. He chewed and swallowed pretty quickly. "Food always this good around here? And uh...Mimi's actually pretty tight-lipped when the whole molecular degeneration-slash-aging thing comes up," he informed.

Sam gave a short chuckle and tilted his head. "It is for now. Some of the angels that are going to be staying behind when Dean, Cas, Gabe, and I take the new arrivals to the new compound can cook pretty well, but you might have to pitch in every now and again," he said. He wanted to ask about this whole not-aging thing with Crowley and Rowena, see what Andy knew...but it was bad enough that he'd gone behind Crowley's back as much as he had. It was, quite frankly, none of his business. Maybe Alicia's...but not Sam's. He tilted his head at that thought, frowning slightly. "You call Ro by Mimi...do you call Crowley--"

"Oh, God no. I did. Once. And only once. And I...I know that he considers me a son, but...look, I tell you this, you never let on you know, okay?"

Sam nodded slowly. "I won't speak of it, or let on, but are you sure that I have any right to know what you're about to say?"

Andy was quiet for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But it isn't just something about him, it's about me, too, so...I can tell if I want," he said simply. "...Crowley had a son, by birth, before I came along. Mimi told me about him. Gavin. When he first took up the mantle of King...well, there was a power-play, and Gavin got caught in the middle of it. ...Crowley can't handle anyone calling him Dad anymore."

Sam's wings twitched and he felt Gabriel prodding at him in the face of the concern and grief he felt on behalf of the villain monarch.

' _I'm fine. I am. Just found out something, and I promised not to divulge it. I'm sorry, or I'd tell you, you know I would_.'

' _S'alright Samshine. Was just worried_.'

"...I'm glad he's got you, man. Hell, glad you've got him, for that matter," Sam said.

Andy's lips twitched, pulling up into a side-smile. "Thanks, man."

"But," Sam began, smirking in clear teasing. "I gotta know your thoughts on the possibility of gaining a mother figure that's right around your age."

Andy blinked, then beamed brightly. "You saw it, too?! Man.... Well, first off, to answer your question, if Alicia winds up falling into that category, that is just going to be weird as all hell. I mean...it is a little weird, right? But uh...I gotta tell you, I was seriously thinking Crowley was ace or some shit, that he only did all his flirty one-liners as a way to either make people uneasy, or to actually put them at ease. I guess...I don't know, he's demi or something?"

Sam smiled, chuckling softly. "He did say that his uh...'feelings' for Alicia had nothing to do with emotion and everything to do with her mind. In fact, he denies it as feelings at all."

"What a crock'a shit," Andy said, causing them both to laugh.

"Anyway, man...bring the plate out after you get some rest, leave it in the sink. We'll see ya later," he said.

"Later, Sam!" Andy called after him as the Guardian left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Charlie said the new compound would be ready to go on Wednesday...but I figured it'd be best to wait till next Saturday to make our big move," Dean spoke.

He, Cas, Gabe, and Sam were sitting under the overhang outside the sliding glass doors. Gabriel had pushed his chair as close to Sam's as possible and was practically draping over their armrests to lean against his side. Sam had his arm around his mate's waist, hand on the baby bump that held their little Iskra, fingers rubbing idle circles.

Cas and Dean were sitting about a foot apart, Jackie in her carrier between them, sleeping soundly.

Sam let out a soft hum of agreement. "That's probably a good idea. Gives us more than enough time to pack up and get both the new arrivals and the ones that have been here longer on board with all of it. There is a small issue I'd like to bring up on that front though. I've been thinking on it, and honestly, I think it makes a great deal of sense. ...Armaya's father is on the council from their homeworld. She's likely been brought up with the goal of becoming a council member in time. And she's good at gathering information, observing things about her without being noticed. And it's not just her, either. Balthazar and Samandriel keep up with her on that front. They're all good at this sort of thing. ...I think all three of them would fit on our forming council, but if not all three of them, then definitely Armaya."

Gabriel was contemplative in their bond, but from what Sam felt, he was largely in agreement.

Cas was looking at Dean, and Dean had a pensive expression on his face as he stared at the table between the two couples. "...How large is the council, the old one, anyway?" he suddenly asked aloud.

"There were thirty-two council members, last I was aware," Cas answered him.

"We make four. ...I think we should limit to Armaya for now, because...I'm not so sure how it'd go over if we had Balthazar and Samandriel, too, but not Adam. And family though he may be, I'm not seeing where exactly he could contribute to a council just yet. ...Add in Charlie, Rowena, and Crowley, that puts us at eight in total, and there's sure to be others we'll want to consi--"

"Hold the phone!" Gabriel chirped, sitting up and leaning forward with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You finally finished waffling on that?"

Dean shot the golden angel a scowl before rolling his eyes and huffing. "I think what I said makes that obvious," he muttered.

Sam poked Gabriel in reprimand, via their connection, and gave his brother a grateful smile. "Thanks for telling us, Dean," he spoke in a genuine tone. "Now the question is, who do we want to approach those four about this? Just one of us, or all four of us?"

"I'll get Charlie on board, no issue. Sam, I think it's best you take Armaya. I don't really know her like you do," Dean spoke.

"She does relate to you pretty well, kiddo," Gabriel chimed in.

Sam imagined that was due to their talk about how they weren't their fathers, but he didn't say anything aloud about it.

"Alright...so Ro and Crowley?" he ventured.

They were quiet for a moment, before Cas put forth, "I believe it best if all four of us addressed them about it. I also would think that it would be best to make it apparent that the decision is unanimous. I have a feeling that, should they think otherwise, they may be predisposed to decline the invitation."

"That's a sound theory," Sam muttered dryly.

"Hey, Sammy...I was wondering, that uh...lid thing you do, the...binding grace or whatever...do you think you could do that on a mass scale? Like you do with teleporting?" Dean spoke suddenly.

Sam frowned. "I...I have no idea. ...Why? What are you thinking?"

Dean shook his head. "Nothing...well, I guess it would be kind of major if it left angels without the ability to protect themselves, but I was more thinking of using that to try and keep anyone from accidentally bonding with a human or anything," he answered.

"Okay. Well. For starters, it's not a complete drive for angels to bond with humans, even when their grace does react. Sure, Cas did it on accident. Really, so did Gabe, but I was dying and he panicked. But angels are able to refrain, and have done so in every instance so far," he explained. "And then there's the fact that it wouldn't work anyway," he tacked on.

They all startled at that, eyes fixating on the younger Guardian at the table.

"What'chu talkin' bout, Willis?" Dean piped up.

That brought the attention of their mates onto Dean.

"Your brother's name is not Willis. Dean, are you well?" Cas spoke.

"Pop culture reference, Cas," Sam intervened. "And, I mean, Dean...it won't work. ...A few months ago, when Gabe got sick after eating a ton of chocolate...it was one of Adam's first days at the compound...Max came to see me. He already knew at that point that he was not just interested in Mefusa and Heturi, but that he was invested in them. That he wanted a future with them. I asked him if their graces reacted to him. I still don't know why Heturi was reticent to see about it, at that time...just that he obviously did come around at some point. But when I asked, he told me that Mefusa's grace did react to him. ...I didn't really think much of it until weeks later, but...it was a day or two after that, that I discovered that I'd bound Mefusa's grace. ...Even if it's bound, it can still react, potentially could still form a bond," Sam told them.

They were all quiet for a few moments as they considered the information Sam put forth.

"Interesting," Cas finally murmured, looking very much like he wanted to try some experiments. He was a scientist, after all, Sam thought to himself. All the same, Cas spoke nothing further of it, and the topic moved on to what they were going to work on for dinner that evening.

Dean's suggestion of homemade calzones was readily agreed upon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally addressed the inconsistency I found when backreading not this past weekend, but the weekend before!
> 
> YAY. FREAKING YAY.
> 
> I do my best to keep all my details in line, but when I discovered/realized what I'd done with the whole bound grace reacting thing, it drove me nuts trying to figure out where to place the conversation addressing it.
> 
> I'm not sure what tomorrow's chapter is going to bring. We'll see.
> 
> Also, no chapters on any fics on Friday. Got some stuff at work I direly need to catch up on. Sorry ><


	91. Chapter 91

Sam left the calzone-making to Dean. After all, the main thing for calzones, in their shared opinion, was the pizza sauce...and they were on pretty equal footing in making that.

Instead, Sam tracked down Armaya. She was with her nest (with Adam away at school) in the reading corner. She was sitting in the middle of the sofa, one arm around Samandriel's waist at her left, and her right hand playing through Balthazar's hair, his head on her lap as he laid with his back to the sofa, three of his six wings pinned to the back. The position didn't look terribly comfortable, with most of his legs draped over the arm of the sofa, but he bore a contented expression, eyes closed as he hummed almost too faintly to be heard at all.

He moved and took a seat in the nearest sofa chair. Armaya and Samandriel both smiled in greeting, but it was the lavender-winged Sentinel that greeted him by simply saying his name.

"Hey Armaya," he spoke back. "Look, I uh...I had something I wanted to speak to you about. It's...a request. One that borders on suggestion, but you're still welcome to decline," he began.

Samandriel frowned, shifting slightly. "Do you need Balth and I to recuse ourselves?"

Sam shot him a smile and shook his head. "Not at all. It's not a secret, and should Armaya concede to our request, you'll know anyway."

Balthazar, still softly humming, opened his eyes and tilted his head to glance at Sam. There was a flash of knowing in his eyes after a few seconds, and then he was back in the same position, enjoying the hand in his hair.

Armaya looked curious, but also bordering on wary. "What is it?" she asked, though not unkindly.

Sam paused for just a second, then smiled at her softly. "You are not your father, Armaya, and I stand by that, I stand by what I spoke with you about months ago. ...But the fact of the matter is, I suspect you were brought up with the intention that you would follow in his footsteps. Because of that, you are well-suited to holding a council position. ...And I won't really pretend to know what that means for your homeworld, for **_Nilka_**...but for here, for Earth, it means that you care, and care enough that you keep yourself knowledgeable of everything going on about you and how it affects not only those involved, but others around all the individuals in a given situation. ...We've discussed it, Armaya. And not even at length, because we all see these things. We strongly believe that you would be a great asset to have on this council we're making. And we request that you take the position. But as I said...you're still welcome to decline."

Armaya had stilled and her expression was one of mild discomfort. Sam knew her well enough to understand that she was much, much more than just mildly discomforted. After a beat, she breathed out a soft sigh and spoke. "I will have to think on it, Sam. There is much to consider on this subject, on this turn that my life could take. ...But I do sincerely appreciate what you have said, and especially that you've stressed that I do not have to accept. You cannot know what it means to me that I truly have a choice in the matter," she spoke, offering a somewhat strained smile.

Sam gave her a soft one in return. "All I have spoken is true, Armaya. And I will not be upset or offended, none of us will be, if you do decide to decline. ...We are leaving, with the new arrivals, this coming Saturday. I'm going to have Charlie set up a direct line to the new compound before we go, so that you all can keep in touch. That being said, there is no deadline for you to make this decision. Take your time, and make the one that's right for you, right for your nest. If anyone protests it, either way, I will not let allow for it to cause you any discredit. Your choice is your own, and you are well within your right--"

There was a crash and a yell from the kitchen.

Sam dropped his head. "I have a feeling he forgot to crush the tomatoes before they could explode in the heat. ...I've said enough anyway. See you guys at dinner," he said, shooting them all a smile as he moved to head back to the kitchen.

After cleaning up exploded tomato from the counters and floor, the sauce making had gone by quickly, calzones quickly following, and everyone expressed joy with the new dish.

Sam asked Dean to go ahead and give Charlie a call after dinner, and while he spoke with her to also bring up having a general phone line installed so that the angels could reach out to the new compound after their move.

Sam was overheard.

A lot of the angels were up in arms.

It wasn't that they hadn't known it was coming, or that it would be soon. But someone had piped up and asked when they were going, and Sam had answered honestly.

And the room was a chaos of noise.

Sam watched them all voicing their protests, but none of it was able to be clearly heard over the cacophony of voices, so he just ate silently.

Until, during the barest of pauses, he managed to make out the sound of Jackie whining and crying under the noise.

When Sam's wings shot up high in full-on aggression, the room went silent, save Cas trying to soothe his darling child's cries.

Sam waited, wings lowering all-too-slowly, until Jackie was finally down to little more than echoed whimpers. And then he spoke up.

"You all knew this was coming," he began. "There's not enough space here. The **_Bilum_ **and the **_Lurbardr_ **crews have been here the longest, and as such, you all have managed to mostly adjust to the way this world works. You are not being completely abandoned. I will still be bringing Charlie here on Wednesdays, and Adam on Fridays. You will have Max and Alicia as guides as well. I'm pretty sure Andy intends to stay with this compound, given the work he's put in to settling in here. Furthermore, you will still have two Guardians to help defend you, should the need arise; Mefusa and Mikiye. If--"

"Mikiye's a Guardian?"

"Since when?"

"He made you a Guardian?"

"Wait, who made whom into a Guardian?" this last one from one of the new arrivals.

"This world is insanity. I want to go home," another of the new arrivals.

Sam sighed as noise started to rise. "Enough!" he spoke, raising his voice as much as he dared without disturbing Jackie, who was beginning to settle toward sleep it seemed. "Crews of the **_Hmriti_** , **_Jik_** , and **_Pliy_** , this will be discussed with all of you at a later time. The discussion is not being dismissed, but postponed, so please have patience. To the subject at hand; **_Bilum_** , **_Lurbardr_** , you are not being abandoned, you are being given independence. Prove that you can handle it to the best of your ability, but do not hesitate to reach out if you do need help. Charlie can be reached by that phone on the wall, and we will be having a new one installed so that you can reach out to us at the new compound, should an issue arise. ...But the five of us, myself, Gabriel, Castiel, Dean, and their child, we have to go with the new angels to help them learn how to function here. It's not a matter of not wanting to stay, but of going where we are needed. Don't think that we haven't come to consider you all dear friends and even family, because we have. But we're not going to simply dump those that need help on a foreign planet in a building all by themselves with nothing and no one to guide them," he explained.

The rest of the meal was carried out in peace, and when Sam went to the kitchen to work on clean up, he was interrupted more than once by angels either seeking hugs or some form of friendly/familial comfort.

When he and Gabriel retired to their room that night, Gabriel expressed his appreciation for how Sam had handled the situation at dinner bodily.

They woke up twice more in the night and expressed their love in such a manner. Pregnancy libido was a bitch, after all, but they were happy to have each other for it.

Even if sex was a bit awkward with both of them the size of small blimps.

Sam very much had not broken down even once about his lack of abs, thank you very much.

Okay, maybe just the once, but he'd never admit it aloud, and Gabriel loved him too much to bring it up.

The days moved on.

Charlie readily agreed to being on the council on the phone with Dean the previous evening.

When Crowley and Rowena came calling on Tuesday, Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Gabriel had sat down with them in the reading area. Castiel had decided to entrust Jackie to Loma for the duration of the conversation.

It hadn't been a terribly long one. And Cas had definitely been right; having all four of them approach the two villains had been a play of showing that they were all in agreement. It especially helped that Dean didn't so much as twitch a feather during the discussion.

And they both agreed to it, to be council members, and to put forth opinion and insight where they could.

Wednesday mid-morning had Sam picking Charlie up and bringing her over.

Glips had set upon her at once, when they appeared, fussing and worrying about how often she was going to be seeing her if Sam and Dean weren't around.

Charlie and pulled her into a kiss (they'd been sharing so very many of those over the last few months), and then set about soothing her apparent girlfriend. Despite Sam's words at dinner a few days previous, Glips hadn't really thought Charlie would still be coming every week as she had been for nearly as long as Glips had been there.

But Charlie set her to rights and assured her that she'd still be there every Wednesday, even if Sam couldn't bring her for some unforeseeable reason.

Friday afternoon brought Adam and Kevin. And while Adam was not swept up like Charlie had been with Glips, he was still fussed over. Sam was pretty sure it had to do with how new things were for the relationship his little brother now had.

Kevin had opted to return that weekend because he had enjoyed the previous weekend; he'd enjoyed getting to know things about a foreign species. Not to mention, he was positively ecstatic with the various informations they provided. He was especially interested in their biology, given he was studying medicine like Adam, but he had also taken time to learn about differing spatial theories, and knew enough of some theories originating on Earth to hold his own in those conversations.

It was during a conversation between Kevin and Gabriel on subspace distortions, wormholes, and...other things that went more than a little over Sam's head, that he felt a spark of amusement out of his mate.

He looked over from his place in the living room to see Andy had joined in on their conversation, and it was now mostly a back and forth between the two humans.

'... _Are they getting along?_ '

' _Mostly. They're arguing over a subspace paradox theorem. They're both wrong, too. But it's getting heated, and uh...if Andy looks at Kevin's lips one more time, I'm going to smack their heads together_ ,' came back with a high amount of amusement.

Sam snorted aloud before coughing a bit to cover it.

' _Hm. Okay, then. But uh...is Kevin even showing interest, beyond the conversation?_ ' he queried, shifting forward in his seat and squinting in their direction to try and see.

' _Kinda...? Like, Andy blew him off about a point Kevin was trying to make a few minutes ago, and honest-to-Father, the kid put his hand on Andy's thigh and kept it there until he was well and sure he had Andy's full attention again._ '

' _Full attention indeed. How interesting. ...Sucks we won't really get a chance to see how things go for them_ ,' he thought with a mental sigh.

Gabriel echoed the vague despondent emotion before refocusing on the conversation before him.

With that, Sam went back to his serial killer documentary on the TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: No chapter tomorrow!
> 
> And, as an additional reminder, it is presently exceedingly rare for me to post chapters on the weekend.
> 
> So...see y'all Monday!


	92. Chapter 92

After dinner that evening, Sam had had Gabriel gather Cassie and Dean in the reading area (Cassie bringing along a sleepy Jackie). He followed a mere couple of minutes later with Jivi and Hurzef in tow, gesturing for them to sit and offering up a friendly smile to their questioning gazes.

When Sam took his seat, Gabriel immediately sprawled over his lap as much as their growing bellies would allow. Sam gave a warm chuckle, moving to keep a careful hold on the golden angel. He gave Gabriel's neck a short nuzzle and a kiss, then then turned his gaze to the history-keepers. "What can you two tell us about the falling stars?" he began.

Dean jolted a bit, having apparently forgotten about that. In truth, Gabriel had as well, but Sam had given him a heads up through their link when he'd asked Gabriel to bring their brothers over here.

Jivi and Hurzef both gave confused looks. "...Pardon?" Jivi questioned.

" ** _Go in peace, and remember the falling stars_** ," Sam spoke in their native tongue.

Jivi and Hurzef's wings both gave sharp twitches and they fell still for a moment, wearing matching contemplative frowns. After a few seconds, Hurzef's wings started to twitch in agitation. "I have no knowledge of it," he spoke, turning to look at Jivi. "Why would we have such a phrase, with no knowledge to coincide with it?"

Jivi was frowning at the floor, but slowly looked up to meet his fellow historian's eyes. "I believe...I believe this may be one of the rare things that only the council's history-keeper knows," he ventured quietly.

"Sounds like secrets to me. Government keeping secrets is always a fantastic thing," Dean muttered darkly.

Sam couldn't help but to let out a hum of agreement. "Well...I guess we'll find out when the others arrive, in about a week or so," he ventured. "I've got one more thing to ask you guys about, and then we'll leave you be. ...Jivi, I know you were there when Gabriel had his first...strange episode, with the...the halo," he began. Gabriel couldn't help but tense a bit on his lap. Over the week, he and Sam had tried to work on pulling that weird state forward, but it was out of his reach for some reason. "...When my wing was injured, last Friday...I was conscious when Gabriel entered the state again. I saw it, and I was about to read the word on the halo. Enochian, it said **_Bles sed_**," he informed. "Given that information, do either of you--"

" ** _Bles sed_**? You're sure?" Hurzef cut in, slightly pale and wings twitching. Jivi looked at him, curious and clearly not knowing whatever it was that Hurzef knew.

Dread-filled unease filled Gabriel, and he knew Sam was feeling it from him by the wave of reassurance that flowed back.

Sam gave a calm nod. "I am, I'm sure," he answered.

Hurzef was quiet for a moment, then glanced at Jivi with a look of guilt, before looking back at Sam.

"When I did my studies under the tutelage of the Society of Keepers, I...I was quite rebellious. I would often find a way past locks and security systems, and wound up reading texts that none but the council history-keeper and council members were supposed to be privy to. I had a fancy, at one time, regarding Guardians, but before I could read much into them, I stumbled upon something I'd never heard of. A text labeling a tale of something called a **_Bles sed_**," he said quietly. His eyes darted to Gabriel, watching him for a moment, as if this weird state of his was going to come forth and stop him from saying more. When Gabriel did nothing more than give a slow blink and meet his gaze, Hurzef nodded to himself, gaze becoming unfocused as he continued. "In all the times I ventured into the Grand Archives following that, I never found more than that single account. ...The **_Bles sed_ **in question had been the mate of a Guardian, and had power that rivaled that of that given Guardian. No one knows how they came to be what they were, what either of them were. But in the area they lived, they brought about a great peace. Unfortunately, as most things are, it was not to last. An assassin from a nearby country killed the **_Bles sed_ **and their children in the dark of night. ...Linked to the account of the **_Bles sed_ **is the only account of a Guardian going completely mad. He destroyed an entire city and all of the lives therein before six other Guardians managed to descend and destroy him. For whatever reason...there were no more Guardians after that. The ones that existed at that time came to eventually die out," the historian relayed.

Sam's grip on his hip was tight, and his mate was trembling under him. Gabriel wasn't in much better shape, and was trying not to cry. Some part of him was not just hearing this, but feeling it, too. It was some sort of weird resonating within his grace, and it was echoed in Sam's soul.

Still, Sam seemed to be adept at separating emotion and logic. "So..." he began, before clearing his throat. "So then, the hypothesis here would be that a Blessed would be the mate of a Guardian? That they would likely have no such power, or at least exhibit it, prior to the mating?" he spoke.

Jivi and Hurzef were now eyeing them with some concern. And, as Gabriel moved to nuzzle into Sam's neck, to give comfort and be comforted, he noticed that Dean and Cassie both were giving them worried glances...though Dean's seemed a bit on the wary side, too.

When the Sentinel historian was unforthcoming, Jivi answered in his stead. "That would be a fair thing to speculate, but I believe that's all we can do; speculate. At least until we see more Blessed, when I'm sure we will in time." There was a pause, and Gabriel, eyes closed where he was tucked under his mate's chin, imagined that Jivi had turned to Hurzef now. "I suppose that account will be lost now, along with much else that was in the Grand Archives," he spoke with a faint sorrow in his tone.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. It's likely the council history-keeper would've smuggled some texts onto their vessel before they fled the planet," Hurzef replied.

Sam gave a faint amused chuckle that he wasn't wholly feeling. "Thanks guys, for what you've been able to fill in for us," he said in a gentle dismissal.

"Of course, Sam," Jivi spoke. "I myself wasn't of much use, but I daresay, we're both happy to provide what we can."

There was a small nod from Sam, and the shuffle and rustle of people walking away.

When they were apparently out of earshot, Dean spoke up. "Alright...what's up? You guys got really...upset? What's going on?"

Gabriel nuzzled further up under Sam's chin and against his neck, and Sam pulled him closer, moving enough to kiss the top of his head. "It just...struck a chord, I guess. I...we, we felt...loss. Not really grief, not like we have felt over some other things, but...definitely a sense of loss," Sam spoke quietly. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "I guess we'll have to wait until the last of them, until the prior council arrives...we'll be in the dark on the whole falling stars thing. And hopefully they'll be able to give some additional information on the Blessed bit, too."

It was then that Gabriel decided to leave behind the morose feelings of loss and, with a kiss to Sam's neck, sat back a bit.

He recognized the look of consideration in his little brother's eyes. "...Cassie?" he prompted.

Cassie blinked, eyes snapping over to him and Sam, and then he gave a small shake of his head. "Nothing...nothing yet. ...Or rather, I suppose, nothing I'd speak aloud without further information, for fear of sounding outlandish and ludicrous," he responded.

At this, Dean turned to look at him, and Gabriel couldn't see what look he had on his face...but his wings were twitching with open curiosity. Cassie frowned, and then his face twisted in exasperation, and finally, he huffed a sigh.

"I have noticed," his little brother began, "that Earth has some sciences and a few strains of theology that...coincide with some of **_Nilka's_ **beliefs. I'm sure you two, Dean, Sam, are already aware, but **_Nilka_ **is--was, not divided when it came to our beliefs of creation and grace. There was the Father, who came first, and the Mother, who followed soon after. There is not much known of their origin...simply that they weren't, and then they were. Our beliefs go that they were always close, and as two beings of the beginning, they wanted more. So came the first beasts. They began in the water, the Father's choice. The Mother chose next to make the beings of the air. And finally, they made the ones of the ground.

"It was during the creation of the land-bound creatures that the Father and Mother felt the stirrings of love. And then, mere creatures with no real sentience weren't enough.

"The Father loved land and sea the most, but the Mother adored the air. They decided on a form for the beings they sought to create, the angels. Father made it so they could walk the land, and swim in the sea, much like humans do...and the Mother gave them wings, to be able to take to the air. They gave them minds and intelligence, but...the first angels were lacking. Brutal and...primitive. Despite their intelligence, things often turned bloody and wound in death. The Father and Mother wept.

"It was during one of their many great cries that threatened to flood the land, that a single tear actually landed upon an angel...and they were suddenly aglow with grace. The Mother noticed, and brought it to the attention of the Father. And they watched. ...The angel didn't have a long life. Too many around it were still vicious. But it had enough of one for the Father and Mother to see and understand that the angels were in need of grace, to give them the final push into sentience, to give them a true conscience and heart.

The previous angels were left to die out as the Father and Mother worked on creating new angels, infused with grace. In creating, though, they found small issues. Grace could be split to form new independent grace...but when the body would eventually fail, the grace was left with nothing to do but be, to exist. This goes with the human law of conservation of energy.

"The Father and Mother came up with a plan, and created the Ferriers. The Ferriers were ethereal beings that would escort the graces of passed angels away to a new existence.

"Much happened and came to pass in the first few millenia of the angels' existence, and during that time, the Father and Mother would often communicate with their children. And one day, they were just silent, gone. They left the angels to their own devices. Supposedly that's about the time the first Guardians came into being." Here, Cassie paused, but Gabriel was following his line of thinking and picked it up.

"You think...you think that the graces the Ferriers escorted away are...here. Earth," he ventured. "That it falls into their beliefs of...what was it, uh--"

"Reincarnation?" Dean spoke, tone a bit bewildered.

Sam didn't say anything at first, but he wasn't in full agreement on the thought process, Gabriel could tell that. All the same, "It's a pretty sound...theory, I suppose. But I don't think...I mean, there's probably a lot of factors to consider that we just don't have the knowledge on. I mean, for starters, this is all reliant on an actual higher power, or well, powers, existing. And I'm not sure how much stock I actually put in that. Yeah, I hope there is something out there, something benevolent...but it's just a hope, that's all. So, that means none of this is really rooted in science, and that makes it harder to swallow. ...Then there's...how grace winds up being transmuted to becoming a soul. There's some ideas and theories we could come up with there, but we'll probably never actually _know_. In all, though...it would explain why soul and grace seem to be so compatible, under the right circumstances."

"Dude...this is so over my head. I'm actually feeling a headache try to come on," Dean said with a grimace.

Sam looked over at his older brother, then smirked in amusement. "No you aren't. You just don't like the heaviness of the subject, or all the implications behind it."

"...Shut up, bitch," Dean muttered with a discomforted flick of his wings.

"Quit acting like you're less intelligent than you are, jerk," Sam shot back with an easy grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been sick the past two days.
> 
> For that, I sincerely apologize, but I am well now, and thus, chapters for the week are resuming.
> 
> Have 2100 words involving the religious connotations of my little AU.
> 
> Moving to the new compound tomorrow! (Unless my muse decides to throw something else in beforehand).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, and <3 you all muchly!
> 
> Now to scamper off and cook up a chapter for AYS....


	93. Chapter 93

The next morning, after breakfast, the group of forty-one (including baby Jackie), was gathered out front, under Max, Mefusa, and Heturi's twined trees.

The others of the compound were lingering nearby as well, giving some last minute advice to the new angels.

Sam was unsurprised to sense Crowley and Rowena approaching, though they had some sort of way of just appearing on his radar, rather than him being able to feel them approaching. All the same, when they stepped past the tree line, he looked over and gave them a greeting smile.

"Lovely! We're in time to see ye off!" Rowena spoke with a broad smile.

"That you are...Mimi," Sam spoke. He'd been teasing her with the name off and on all week.

She narrowed her eyes at him, bringing up a hand and wagging her index finger. "I've told ye, that name's reserved for your wee ones," she huffed.

Sam chuckled, grinning at her.

Crowley let out a long-suffering sigh. "I have siblings. Ugh," he muttered.

Dean grinned in an instant and moved to his side, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Sure do, big bro," he spoke in his best antagonizing-tone.

Crowley stared at him flatly. "...I will remind you," he began in a hiss. "That I'm the King of villains!" he finished in a near roar.

Dean mock-winced and rubbed at his ear. "Yeah, yeah, you're a big bad, I get it," he teased, allowing Crowley to shrug his arm off before giving him his personal space.

Adam approached, looking a bit uncertain. He didn't get to interact with Crowley often, but he seemed to be of mind that, if Sam and Dean said a given person was family, that was that. So, though uncertain, he was relaxed. He shuffled closer to Cas, gently taking Jackie from his arms and smiling down at the cooing infant. "...It's gonna be so weird, being around here without you guys," he spoke in a gentle tone, still watching the babe, but speaking to the rest of them.

"I'm sure...but we were thinking...Sunday evenings, maybe I could bring you by the new place for dinner? Before taking you back to school?" Sam ventured.

Adam looked up, eyes alight with happy appreciation. "Yeah...yeah, that'd be great," he said with a warm smile.

Sam smiled and gave a nod; a short confirmation of cemented plans for the foreseeable future.

"Oh, yeah. Ro, Crowley...we were planning on having a meeting thing, early on this afternoon. Like...two-ish?" Dean began. "Gives us time to get these guys settled, have lunch, and get things cleaned back up. And uh...we were thinking of making it a weekly thing, too, if y'all are down for it," he tacked on.

Rowena blinked and smiled, looking pleased as punch that they were definitely serious about the two villains being on the council. "Aye, that works for me," she confirmed.

Crowley, however, was frowning slightly in thought. "I can make it work. Just a few things I'll need to push around next month," he finally answered.

"A few things," came Alicia's voice. Her tone was vaguely smug as she walked over, and Sam looked at her, surprised at the playful smirk that had overtaken her features. "What he means to say is, we had a whole Saturday out that he was bragging about, week-after-next," she announced.

Crowley...blushed.

Dean's eyebrows went into his hairline.

Rowena smirked knowingly.

Gabriel grinned, and that was a beautiful sight.

Sam chuckled.

"Well, if that's the case, we can move that particular meeting to Sunday mid-morning, I think," he said, shooting Crowley a warm smile. "But should the last of the angels arrive prior to that, then Crowley, I would prefer you withdraw from that meeting in the interests of your personal life."

Crowley frowned, opening his mouth, but Gabriel cut him off.

"Sambourgini's right. You've got enough going on with your crowning rule. Then you've got the whole council stuff on top of it...you need to be able to take time for you, too," he chirped out.

Crowley frowned, but said nothing...which they all took to be the acquiescence it was.

"Alright...everyone's dawdled enough," Dean announced, picking up the bags he and Cas had. While they both had significantly more than they did when they moved into this compound, it was mostly thanks to the addition of Jackie. "Let's go this show on the road!"

Adam, with a tight smile, passed Jackie back to Cas carefully.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon, Adam. Make sure Kevin's ready, too, so we're not going back and forth too much," Sam spoke, glancing over where Kevin was leaning against the outside wall of the compound, talking to Andy and Mikiye both. When Adam nodded in his periphery, Sam cast him a quick smile before lifting his chin just a bit and raising his voice. "Crews of the **_Jik_** , **_Hmriti_** , and **_Pliy_** , please shoulder your belongings, form a circle, and make sure you are holding onto the person next to you in some way," he announced. As he waited for them all to get into formation, he looked over the thirty-two angels and six humans they were going to be leaving behind for the time being. "As for the rest of you...you'll still see us. Maybe not often, but we will be around, especially over the coming week. There's more things we have to work on here, to wrap up, so we'll still be about. ...All the same, I have no hesitation in speaking for Gabriel, Cas, Dean, and myself in saying that we'll miss you guys. You're friends...you're family. Take care of one another, and remember that we're a phone call away if you need us," he spoke.

"You can't go, Sam! Who's going to talk Max out of horror movies for movie night?" Sefir spoke aloud in a joking tone.

A wave of laughter rippled through them all.

"Oh, guys...that's an easy one. Threaten to take away his gaming console time, and he'll cave," Sam shot back.

Sepia wings shot up in shock. "Sam! You traitor!" Max's voice came over the low din.

They all chuckled at that. Seeing the circle of angels closing up, Sam shot a parting look at the compound. This had been home for many months. He'd miss it. But ultimately...home was where Gabriel was.

' _Sap_.'

'... _You heard that? I didn't think I was projecting_.'

' _Haven't you noticed that it's been getting easier every moment of every day? I've been picking up on stuff you think too loudly at times_.'

' _Hm. ...Wait, shit, what have you heard?_ '

There was a curious prod from Gabriel as he looked back at Sam.

'... _What are you hiding?_ '

' _A surprise_ ,' Sam thought with a small wave of relief. He was glad to know it wasn't ruined.

' _While I hate you hiding things from me, your last surprise, those lovely chocolate shops at Opry Mills? Yeah, they made it worth it. So...I won't pry_...' Gabriel thought with a put-upon mental tone.

Sam stepped close and kissed his temple. ' _Thank you, beloved_ ,' he murmured back softly.

He glanced over at the villains. "Crowley, Rowena...I'll be back just before two," he addressed. He then looked to the angels and humans they were leaving. "We'll see you all later," he assured, refusing to say goodbye.

It seemed they understood him, because there were echoes of, "See you," in one form or another.

With that, Sam closed the circle before him, shutting his eyes and taking just a moment to ensure he wasn't about to hurt someone. He hadn't had any issue yet, but that didn't make him any less cautious.

Barely thirty seconds later, they were gone from their former home.

The new place was in northern Cali, and as such, the grass wasn't the typical burnt-brown of plants that suffered too much sun and heat. It also helped that it was nestled in a valley, making it even cooler than most of the state.

The new compound was huge, too. Fifteen floors, though instead of ten rooms a floor, it was six rooms, and two communal bathrooms per floor.

The suites that Charlie had designed for Sam and Gabe, and Dean and Cas, were on opposite ends of the top floor, facing the West. The building was just tall enough to peek over the edge of the valley in that direction, and laid a beautiful view of the ocean out before them...which they could admire from their respective living room areas of their suites.

Dean and Cas' suite had two bedrooms, one acting as a nursery for sweet little Jackie.

Sam and Gabriel's was the same, but as their nursery would have to accommodate four little ones in all, it was noticeably larger.

Sam had taken the time over the past week, and that morning, to work on getting things set up in both the rooms.

Dean and Cas had picked out a lot of things for the nursery of their suite, and Charlie had had contractors work it all in and set it up.

Sam, careful not to strain himself, had done the work on the nursery of his and Gabriel's suite all on his own.

It was one of the surprises that Sam had planned for him, and he couldn't wait to show him.

But for now, they had angels to get settled in.

"Alright guys...we're pretty much on the other side of the country from where we were," he began as the angels began to observe their surroundings. "We're in a state called California, and we're not very far from any cities, really, but we're safe enough here. As you guys can probably tell," he spoke, gesturing to the building before him, "this is our new home. There's six bedrooms a floor, and two large communal bathrooms with four shower stalls a piece in each on each floor. The ground floor's bedrooms are a bit on the smaller side, to ensure structural integrity and allow for a laundry area, kitchen, dining room, living room, and a room for meetings. ...You all don't have much here, and we're aware of that. Monday, we will all be going out, visiting a mall and some stores, so that you all may get clothing to alter to your liking, linens you may prefer over what we have already here, decorations...anything you may like to fill your own room. ...There are two rooms on the top floor that were specifically made for myself, Dean, and our mates. They're on the opposite side of the sun's current position, on either end of that floor, and both have a wooden plaque mounted on them with our last names carved into the wood. Beyond that, you are all free to find and choose your own rooms. Lunch is in about an hour and a half, so try and be back down by then," he spoke in dismissal.

For a few seconds, they didn't move, most of them staring up at the building, and a few still looking to Sam. Finally, though, someone took a step forward, and they all began to trickle on into the building.

Sam looked over at Dean, giving his brother a smile. "Let's all go check out your suite first, and then we can head to mine and Gabe's," he spoke.

Cas nodded, as did Dean.

They both looked ready for what Sam had planned.

Sam failed to contain the excited thrill sweeping through him, and Gabriel shot him a small frown and gave a curious prod.

Sam just shot him a grin, and they headed in.

This new compound had three large elevators, instead of the one that the previous compound had. Which was fortunate, because two of them were presently in use. Sam pressed the button for the third, definitely not up to climbing fifteen flights of stairs in his pregnant state (with his back thoroughly aching), and the doors opened swiftly. They climbed in, and Dean hit the button for their floor, being the closest to the floor selection panel.

They stepped off and almost immediately to the left was the door for Dean and Cas' suite, wooden plaque hanging on the door with the names Winchester and Koslok carved, one above the other, in beautiful swirling script.

They stepped in and Dean made for the nursery to drop off the majority of the bags he carried in the baby's room. Cas was on his heels, Gabriel behind him and pulsing with curiosity.

Sam followed at a far more sedate pace, smiling warmly as he felt his mate's wonder filter over their connection once he'd stepped into the room.

Jackie's room was nothing short of beautiful. The walls were a soft, pastel yellow that one wouldn't think would work with oak trim and furniture...but it did. The room had chair moulding, done in oak, as well as oak baseboards. The border of the room, rather than be wallpaper (because Dean absolutely abhorred wallpaper) had fantasy creatures painted along it, just beneath the ceiling. They all looked to be dancing, the centaurs, the dragons, the mermaids, and the unicorns.

The crib was against the North wall, pushed just far enough away from the window on the West wall to keep sunlight from reaching it and potentially waking a sleeping child. It bore an attached diaper changing table. Against the East wall was a long dresser that fit snugly under the chair moulding, and mounted on the wall above the moulding was a wide ornate mirror, nearly as wide as the dresser itself. The frame of the mirror was also oak, but there was bits of stain along the scenes carved into it. Fantasy creatures again, but this time, just dragons at play.

There was a mobile above Jackie's crib, too, and it had been a gift from Charlie. She'd had oak carvings made and stained expertly, the faces of which hung downward. The likenesses on the eight pieces were that of their family; Dean, Cas, Gabriel, Sam, Adam, Charlie, Crowley, and Rowena. Sam had been surprised by the last two, but...well, Charlie was right, they had already begun viewing the villains as family.

At the center of the mobile was a programmable music box. Right now it played a generic Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but Charlie intended to get something more suitable out of Cas at a later date.

Against the South wall, near the door, was a short bookcase as well, but there wasn't much on it just yet.

And finally, at the East and North corner of the wall, there was a small closet, just big enough for a child's clothes and the toybox presently hidden within it.

While Cas and Dean had picked out a lot of these things, Cas hadn't actually been here yet, and was taking it all in with watery eyes. Gabriel moved to his side and nudged him gently. "Look at all this, baby bro. ...Look at it. We've got family again, we're building a family," he spoke softly.

A sob broke from Cas' mouth, and Dean was on him in an instant, hugging him as close as he dared with their infant child between them.

Gabriel watched them with a warm smile on his lips, pulsing with that love in their bond. Sam stepped up behind him, leaning forward over his own belly, and wrapped his arms about Gabriel's upper stomach, kissing and nuzzling the back of his neck.

They all stayed like that for a few long moments of contentedness. Dean and Cas were the first to straighten up, looking at each other. A flash of determination crossed through their eyes, but Gabriel seemed to miss it. The other couple turned to them, both wearing warm smiles. "Alright, I'll just tuck the rest of these into our bedroom, and we can go check out y'all's suite," Dean spoke, heading out of room. Cas paused, eyeing the bags that Dean had left on the floor near the changing table end of the crib, then moved and followed him out into the living area of their suite.

Gabriel paused, then turned to Sam quickly. "Wait, we have a suite. ...Do we have a nursery, too?" he asked.

Sam only smirked in response and walked off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm doing some final decisions on the layout and colors of Sam and Gabe's nursery, and this chapter is at 2700 words, soooooo...that's it for this one!
> 
> Also, the design of their nursery isn't the only surprise that Sam has in store for his beloved mate. ...Any guesses on what else he's planning, guys?
> 
> <3


	94. Chapter 94

This whole surprise business was annoying. But at least now Gabriel had a vague idea of what it was; they had a nursery in their suite!

He couldn't wait to see it.

If it was half as good as Jackie's nursery, it was going to be absolutely adorable and perfect.

Dean was taking too long putting their bags down, dammit.

"Dean-o, hurry it up!" he fussed, standing at Sam's side.

His mate was pulsing with amusement at Gabriel's impatience.

"I'm coming, geez, just hold your horses."

"...We have no horses, Dean," Cassie spoke with a small frown.

"It's another Earth idiom, Cas," Sam said with a short chuckle. "Refers back to pioneer days, if I'm not mistaken, when horses were more widely used for transport, and would often become restless when kept still," he explained further.

Cassie nodded slowly, matching it up with what they already knew of history.

Gabriel could relate to a horse right now. He felt as big as one, and definitely restless and eager to get to his own suite and see the nursery he was sure was there.

"Can we just get going?" he muttered poutily, when Dean still hadn't come out of the bedroom after another fifteen seconds.

Sam reached up and brushed Gabriel's hair back from his face, leaning down and kissing his forehead softly. He was still amused, but also pulsing with loving patience now, too. Gabriel shot him another pout, but despite that, sent his own warm wave of love to his mate.

"Alright, we're settled enough for the moment...let's go explore y'all's suite!" Dean spoke with a grin, striding out of the room.

Finally.

' _Mm, you're right, we don't have to project so much anymore, do we?_ ' Sam pulsed to him amusedly, leading the way out of Cassie and Dean's suite.

' _You think I'd lie to you, kiddo?_ ' Gabriel teased back.

An immediate denial flooded their connection, along with a breath-taking wave of trust. Sam shot him a faint smile. ' _What do you think?_ '

' _I think I love you more all the time_ ,' Gabriel responded, beaming up at him.

Sam flushed just a bit, but grinned in return, flooding Gabriel with love in response.

The hallway was long, but they made the walk readily, and came to reach their own door. Like Cassie and Dean's, it had a wooden plaque on it, with the name Winchester carved into it.

Sam paused for a second at the door, his wings shifting a bit nervously...but it wasn't coming over the bond. Gabriel narrowed his eyes at that, not sure what Sam was hiding, or why it was making him nervous. Before he could even try to pry, though, Sam was opening the door and leading the way in.

Like Cassie and Dean's suite, their living area was done in earthen hues. However, Cassie and Dean's leaned toward muted blues and greens; Sam and Gabriel's was more rich chocolates and red cedars, with some orchid or plum accents, and a very faint smattering of gold peeking about here and there, some on some throw pillows, and some on the border of the area rug beneath the furniture. The West wall, like Cassie and Dean's suite, had sliding glass doors, along with a small window panel on each side, that opened onto a decent sized balcony. Gabriel could see the ocean from here, as he'd been able to within his little brother's suite.

In all, he loved this room. He eyed the extra-long sofa, considering showing Sam some appreciation there later.

Sam let out an amused huff, though it was tinged with his own arousal, and gently took Gabriel's elbow, giving a short tug. "Come on," he murmured softly, leading the way into the room to the left of the suite. Sam moved in and stepped to the side, leaning against the wall and letting go of Gabriel's elbow.

The golden angel was in awe.

The walls were a pinkish-gold hue. Rose gold, the humans called it. And it had a few flecks of a metallic sheen to it, but not enough to be garish. Like the nursery set up for Jackie, this one had chair moulding, but it was done with a deep, rich chestnut wood, same as the baseboards. The top border of the room was a thick navy blue and dotted with specks that made up stars and constellations.

There were four cribs, all the same deep chestnut color as the chair moulding, one against each wall. ...At the bottom of the gate for each crib, the names of their yet-unborn children were carved and stained with a shimmery gold tint to offset from the rest of the wood. All the cribs had their own attached changing table as well.

There were two dressers, in the matching wood color, set near the end of the cribs on the North and South walls. The mirrors set above the dressers had the matching wooden frames, but these were carved with feathers drifting down around the inset glass of the mirror.

Each crib held a mobile above it, and they matched Jackie's mobile with the likeness of family on the carved wood.

There was a soft green area rug in the center, taking up a good portion of the floor, that had a pink-gold border to it that matched the wall color.

Like with Jackie's nursery, there was a door to a small closet in the corner of the East wall.

Gabriel had turned slowly, in the center of the room, taking it all in.

It was amazing. A blend of him and Sam, he saw it, knew it. And it was perfect for their children.

He finally turned to Sam, and his vision blurred with happy tears.

"You're so damned perfect," he muttered, far from the first time.

Cassie and Dean were in the room, too, now, Cassie looking it over appreciatively. Dean had been coming out here with Sam, so he just held a smirk on his lips.

Sam was smiling happily, pulsing with warmth and love.

But his wings were still twitching nervously. Gabriel could barely make it out, but he swiped away the brimming tears, frowning in concern.

Seeing that, feeling it, Sam gave a sheepish smile and stepped forward, past Dean, before turning to face his older brother. ...They were doing that not-telepathic thing again.

Dean gave Sam a nod and was shifting about, but Gabriel couldn't see what was going on; Sam was in the way.

Cassie could see, and his eyes lit up, but with happiness, not surprise...so he already knew whatever it was that was going on.

Gabriel was severely annoyed. He hated not knowing something!

"So, uh," Sam began before he turned to Gabriel, both hands clasped together before him. He swallowed and bit his lower lip for just a second. "Uh, yeah, I know we're...like Dean says, angel-married. Or, mostly, until after the babies are here. But uhm...I thought that maybe you'd be interested in being married the human way. ...Maybe," he spoke. Realization was flooding Gabriel as Sam stepped closer, a flush having settled over his cheeks. "We don't have to, if you'd prefer not to. ...But I love you, Gabe. So damned much. And I...we didn't really get much of a choice when we bonded as much as we did. But this, this is my choice. _You_ are my choice. And I'd get down on one knee, but I'm not so sure I'd be able to get back up, so...Gabriel," Sam spoke, opening his cupped hands. There sat a simple ring, carved from a dark wood and inlaid with a gold feather. "Will you marry me?" he spoke quietly.

It took a moment for Gabriel to manage to breathe evenly enough to form a response, but Sam was beaming down at him, clearly feeling his answer. Still, his mate didn't move, and waited. So, once able to speak in a somewhat even voice, Gabriel nodded. "Like I'm ever going to be able to say no to you...especially on something as perfectly wonderful as this," he breathed with a small laugh.

He wanted to jump up into Sam's arms, but he settled with hugging him as close as their bellies would allow. They were both pulsing so heavily with love and happiness that they were laughing with it. Dean started chuckling as well, and looking over revealed Cassie with a warm, bright smile on his face.

Sam pulled back a bit and pressed a warm, insistent-yet-chaste kiss to his lips. Gabriel hummed and attempted to follow his mate's mouth when the taller angel pulled away, but Sam merely chuckled and moved to take his left hand, slipping the ring onto his ring finger.

It fit perfectly, and Gabriel was curious how he'd managed that one. ...But he wouldn't complain or pester him about it right now; he was just too happy.

They hadn't had any bags with them when they'd arrived, because Sam had taken care of bringing the last of their things over before breakfast that morning. As such, after they'd spent an inordinate amount of time kissing happily until Dean started clearing his throat and starting to say something about how he was right there ("Then leave, Dean-o, and we can consummate this thing" "Gabriel, I believe that's to occur after the ceremony" "You guys, that argument is pointless; we're both knocked up already"), they headed back to Dean and Cassie's suite to help them unpack and get settled in.

It was close to lunch time when they finished up, so they all headed down to get started on a meal for their newest charges.

Some of them were already back down and exploring the common areas of the ground floor. A few had stepped outside, apparently stretching their wings as they could be seen dotting the sky.

Lunch wound up being a few casserole dishes of chicken enchiladas. Sam said they weren't really authentic Mexican fare, but that he and Dean liked the recipe he'd stumbled on some years ago, and so, they had selected this for the lunch meal today.

By the time it was ready, all the angels were gathered again, most in the dining area, but a few peeking about the kitchen in open curiosity. These angels got dragged into setting the table while Sam and Dean got the got pans to the table so the angels could get their own servings.

That wound up with a lot of sauce and cheese on the table, as they served it up. Sam's eye twitched at the mess, but he said nothing. In fact, he even smiled over it, and he had some sort of thought along the lines of, ' _It's not home if there isn't some sort of a mess_.'

The angels enjoyed the meal, as most of the things the brothers made were enjoyed.

When it was done, Cassie headed upstairs to lay Jackie down for a nap, and Sam, Dean, and Gabriel worked quickly to get things cleaned up.

Ten minutes before two, Sam left and Gabriel jolted under the strain of their bond snapping closed. Damn, it'd been a bit since that'd happened...he'd kinda forgot it would. He huffed out a sigh, but just over five minutes later, Sam was back with Charlie, Rowena, Crowley...and Armaya.

Charlie didn't have her mask on; she usually wore it until she was certain the villains weren't about to pop up. But given that she wasn't wearing it, and that Crowley kept peeking at her in something like surprise or shock, Gabriel had a feeling she'd introduced herself by her human (versus hero) name.

Gabriel reached for Sam's hand, even as their connection reopened, practically sagging with relief into his mate's side once he was close enough. A brush of apology passed from Sam, and he kissed the top of Gabriel's head. Gabriel just shook it off; Sam had no reason to apologize. It hadn't been done maliciously, and he knew that.

"Armaya's elected to sit in on the meeting, on a probationary and unofficial capacity, to help her decide on if she would like to accept the position offered her," Sam spoke, when Dean neared. Gabriel glanced up to see a question fleeing Dean's face, replaced with understanding, a smile, and a short nod.

"Alright, well, meeting room's this way. It's not that big, so later on, we'll probably need a larger one, but...it'll do for the eight of us for now," Dean spoke.

Crowley and Rowena moved first, following after Dean; Cassie was already in the room, Jackie with him (his little brother was having trouble opening up enough to the new angels to allow them to care for his infant). Sam and Gabe were right behind them, with Charlie and Armaya chatting amicably and taking up the rear.

They entered the meeting room, and it reminded Gabriel very much of a hotel conference room, or a company's boardroom, that he'd seen on TV. It had a large table that was a darker stain than oak, but definitely not the chestnut of the nursery Sam had surprised him with. High-back leather rolling chairs set a comfortable distance apart surrounded the table on all sides, with one seat taking up each of the narrower ends of the wooden surface. There was a thing mounted to the ceiling, pointed toward a large white board on the back wall, and off to the back far corner was a desk and computer set up.

'... _That's a projector, isn't it? Like, a modern version? I've seen one in some of those old movies about high school_...' Gabriel thought.

Sam paused, looking up, then over to the white board. ' _Yeah, it is_ ,' he thought with a small amount of pride for Gabriel being able to recognize it. ' _And the white board is actually what we call a smart board. Anything projected onto it can be interacted with_ ,' he added.

Dean moved to the far end of the table, where Cassie was sitting, and took a seat; it left one seat between him and the end of the table, on the left side of the chair sitting there.

Crowley paused, staring at Dean, the seat at the end, and the chairs to the right.

The villain looked uncomfortable.

' _What's going on here, Samshine?_ '

Sam was apparently observing the same thing Gabriel was, and had a faint amusement and a bit of warmth flowing easily from him. ' _Sitting to someone's right, traditionally, puts them in a higher esteem. There's historical and religious connotations to it, and some of it just has to do with the majority of humans writing with their right, dominant hand. To be at someone's right hand is to be in high regard. Dean's deferring that seat to Crowley, I think. And Crowley's confused about that, not expecting...wait a second_...' he let out, eyes darting from Dean to the seat at the head of the table. His eyes went wide and his feathers ruffled, shock flowing out of him. '... _Oh, like hell! We're going into this on even footing, dammit_!' he spoke, flicking his wings to settle his feathers. '.. _.I'll explain more later, but follow my lead? Sit across from Cas and next to me, okay?_ '

' _As you wish_.'

' _I'm so happy you love that movie. Such a classic_.'

Sam moved around the villains, Armaya, and Charlie, heading to sit in the second seat from the end on the right, directly across from Dean. Dean blinked, looking up from where he'd been watching Jackie sleep in Cassie's arms and frowned, eyes flicking to the end seat and then back to Sam. Sam raised an eyebrow and leveled his older brother with a flat stare. When Dean started to open his mouth, Sam's other eyebrow went up, and Dean shut his mouth, rolling his eyes and giving a shrug, waiting for everyone to take seats.

Gabriel took his seat beside Sam, having watched the little exchange. Crowley settled next to him, and Rowena by Cassie. Charlie beside Crowley, and finally, Armaya by Rowena.

A tablet slid down the table past Gabriel, and Sam easily caught it up. "Thanks, Char. Alright, so in the future, we'll all either have tablets to work from or papers...something. For today, I'm going to keep everything on this one," Sam began.

"What's the real reason you're not sitting at the front of the table?" Dean challenged, when Sam began to lead the meeting.

Sam tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling. Something about God giving him strength pulsed out of him, with a heavy wave of annoyance. "I was clear on that, Dean," he said, looking back down. "We're here as equals, not for one of us to lead the others. All I'm doing is guiding us into our first meeting, and keeping track of any relevant information that comes up during all of this. I mean, we haven't really done anything like this before, so if you've got an idea on how to get things flowing, if you've taken the time to think on it, then--" he started, beginning to hold out the tablet.

Dean grimaced. "No, no...you're right. Just...you're smarter'n me, Sammy, and--"

There was a sound from Cassie, but Sam cut Dean off quicker. "Not smarter. I just think differently and plan ahead more. Now, tabling this argument, especially since it has no place in here, let's get to one of the first things we should address," Sam continued. He moved the tablet up to where he could see what he began to type on it, but kept his chin lifted so as not to muffle his voice as he continued. "Charlie's been storing the ships that have arrived so far. We've got the **_Bilum_** , the **_Nujir_** , the **_Lurbardr_** , the **_Hmriti_** , the **_Jik_** , and the **_Pliy_**. **_Bilum_ **is settled on the compound in the mountain range by Chattanooga. **_Nujir_ **can be flown, but after the attack when it landed, it's not a safe thing; it'd probably be best to see about having a team of angels either repair or salvage it. One of the four remaining ships should be moved to the roof of this structure, so that we have access to the medical facilities, as well as necessary communications equipment. Given what I know of the supplies still aboard the vessels, I would recommend we fly the **_Hmriti_ **over. I'm fairly sure Ariel's the captain of that one, and I believe she will consent to it. ...Thoughts?"

"The Hmi... ** _Hmriti_** ," Charlie annunciated carefully, "might be too large; it was the largest of those three ships, and this building is a good bit narrower than the other compound. Can I...?" she spoke, gesturing to the tablet.

Without any real pause, Sam slid it back down the table and she swept it up, hand giving a small glow as it connected with the device. "...It'd be a tight squeeze, there wouldn't be much walk room around it, and we'd need someone with pretty precise skills in the driver's seat," she supplied, glow fading as she passed the tablet back down.

Sam frowned in thought. "...Maybe the **_Pliy_** , then...move some of the supplies from the **_Hmriti_ **to it. It's a good size smaller," he spoke, a bit on the quiet side.

Yes, the **_Pliy_ **was smaller, but not for lack of crew space. The survivors of that vessel had totaled five, but there had originally been twelve aboard when they'd begun the journey here. Sam still felt an upset over the loss of life, though it was none his fault. All Gabriel could do was send a faint amount of comfort to him and allow him to get back on track. All the same, Sam took the bare amount of time it took to send back a pulse of gratitude.

"Sounds like a fair idea," Crowley chimed in.

To that, Sam nodded and started to tap on the tablet again.

"The next topic I have is security. We have a small amount of it with the locations of the compounds, both this one in Northern Cali," Sam spoke, glancing at Crowley, then Rowena, making sure they were clued in on just about where they were, "and with the one in the mountains of Tennessee. It's enough that I'm not concerned about our home locations. What I am concerned about is taking the angels out into public. We can't expect them to hide behind the walls of these structures, and it's healthy for both them, and society, that they come to interact with it. But taking all the angels from either or both locations out is nothing short of a task, and that's being generous. ...There are presently four Guardians, and one Blessed that is not yet able to control whatever power he summons, to protect seventy-one angels...if I'm doing my math correctly. And we've got four newborns on the way, too, which will ultimately put us at seventy-five. And, of course, this doesn't include the number we're expecting to arrive within the next one-to-two weeks. ...Thoughts, ideas?"

"There should be one person per five angels, I think," Rowena piped up. "Honestly, I'd say per ten, but I think that'd be stretching it too much...given how utterly nonsensical we humans can be," she spoke. She'd been leaning towards Cassie, watching Jackie sleep with a doting smile on her lips. His little brother seemed not to mind it in the slightest.

"I think..." Charlie began, casting an uncertain look in Crowley's direction before looking back past him to Sam. "I think a joint effort is called for, there. I mean, I could try to spare enough heroes for planned trips, but I would need significant advance notice to put things into place and ensure things were still going smoothly."

Sam turned to look down the table at her, then looked at Crowley. "...Crowley, there are many reasons we elected to invite you to the council. I won't pretend your resources and pull aren't high on that list, but I also want it apparent that your opinion and input is valued as well. While we would all appreciate you lending the strength of your purview to us for taking angels out on excursions, you are not under pressure to provide it," he spoke.

Crowley smirked for a moment, appreciation glittering in his eyes. But then it shut off in a frown of consternation. "Unfortunately, Moose, this isn't something I can decide on at this time. If it were well in my hands, I would agree. However, I have a reputation to maintain, if I want to continue to lead those I have under my wing...so to speak. As such, I need to come up with a way to influence those in my purview...so many of them are grunts that merely wish to do _bad_. It's honestly somewhat pathetic. But there's also a fair amount that yes, wish to do bad, but are willing to do a little give-and-take to get their dastardly on," he supplied.

Suddenly, Charlie slapped his shoulder, grinning at him as he turned an affronted look on her. "We just became friends!" she chirped, bouncing in her seat.

"...Lovely," the King spoke in a tone that suggested he wasn't happy about that. But when he relaxed back into his seat where Gabriel could once again see his expression, there was a small upturn to his lips.

Dean and Sam were both stifling chuckles, and Sam cleared his throat, starting to tap on the tablet again. "Okay, so that's tabled until the next meeting, ultimately, but Char, I do need a few people for Monday. I think we can make do with three people, to help us out? We're taking the newbies around so they have some personal affects here," he said.

"Three...yeah, I can do that. I have a few ideas on just who-all to send along, too," she responded.

Nodding, Sam chewed his lower lip for a moment. "Tuesday, I'm going to bring Mefusa by, should we already have the Pliy settled here. I want him to set up the communications equipment from that vessel. I think having it in the dining area, like with the other compound, is a good idea. I'd put it in here, but then it might wind up not being heard when someone tries to reach out."

When Sam paused and looked around, no one offered anything up, so he nodded and tapped on the tablet again. "And the last point I have...Cas, Gabe, Armaya, you three will be best to address this; detecting incoming space crafts. I'm sure all the vessels have equipment for that. Is it in any way mobile? Can we set something up on the ground floor of each compound?"

"There is a radar, yes. It senses not only crafts, but subspace anomalies, distortions, gravitational wells, planets, meteors, and much more," Cassie began. "However, I'm uncertain if it is able to be disengaged from a vessel," he added.

"Samandriel will be able to tell us," Armaya spoke up for the first time. "He's a highly skilled engineer; if it's able to be done, he'll know, and he'll figure out how to do it."

"I do believe that's the most I've ever heard you speak," Crowley spoke.

Armaya looked at him blankly for a long moment, then back at Sam. Gabriel could see that faint spark of humor in her eyes, and Sam's pulse of amusement suggested he saw it as well.

"If I may extend my unofficial seat through next week, I will take the time to address it with him before the next meeting," she assured.

Sam shot her a warm smile, but didn't answer. Instead, he tilted his head a bit, looking at the others. "Objections on this course of action?"

"Nope!" Dean.

"None," Cassie.

"Not a one," Rowena cooed, wiggling a finger in front of a now-awake and flailing Jackie.

"I have no objection," Crowley.

"S'cool with me!" Charlie spoke, beaming a smile.

"I'm good with it," Gabriel said, shooting Sam a warm smile.

Sam smiled back softly, then looked over at Armaya. "We'll be happy to allow you to attend the meeting next week, in an unofficial capacity, as well."

Armaya gave a nod, a bare ghost of a smile on her lips.

Sam tapped on the tablet, then looked up.

"Alright, any topics anybody else want to bring up?"

"Yes, actually," Crowley drawled. "The other homes I've been preparing are near ready for the incoming angels. I have a total of six...compounds, as you lot like to call them. Unfortunately, none of them are in the US. There is one in Canada, but the rest are overseas. I'll take the time to prepare a few maps and bring those and copies of the building blueprints with me to the next meeting."

There was quiet for a moment, and Gabriel smiled, looking up at the villain setting beside him. "Thank you," he spoke genuinely.

The human looked uncomfortable with that.

Sam tapped on the tablet again, and then shut the screen off. "If no one has anything else...our first meeting is done!" he said with a broad smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4500 words...geh @.@
> 
> I sleepy. Can't wait to sleep teh weekndz away.
> 
> <3 all


	95. Chapter 95

The meeting over, Sam had taken the time to transport Crowley, Rowena, and Armaya back to the Chattanooga compound, and Charlie back to her Cove.

The rest of the day passed with a good amount of ease. The angels of the California compound were settling in easily enough, and seemed to be far less standoffish than the others had been when they'd arrived. Sam suspected that a large part of that had to do with the state they'd been in upon their arrival, especially for the five remaining crew of the **_Pliy_**. But now, barely more than a week later, they were all recovering fairly well. Sam was happy for it.

Dinner had, in all, been a rather quiet affair. It'd started in near silence, but by the end, there was a faint din of conversation, and the Guardian was glad for it.

He and Dean had taken care of clean up, and then Sam and Gabriel had headed to their suite for the evening rather early.

Gabriel had pinned him down on their sofa, as roughly as he dared with both of them carrying children, and taken Sam apart.

When they shuffled to their bed, Sam had readily returned the favor.

When Sam woke, he blinked up at the dark ceiling above him. He wasn't sure what had woken him, only that he was fully awake and aware. He turned his head to the bedside clock. 2:36, the digital readout softly beamed into the night.

He turned his head to see the top of Gabriel's head resting on his right shoulder. Their connection revealed that he was deeply, contentedly asleep, and Sam smiled warmly, kissing the top of his head of hair softly.

With a soft sigh, he turned his gaze back to the ceiling.

...He was happy. In a way he'd never really thought he'd be. ...Even when he'd had Jess, it'd been nothing like this. Yeah, he missed her, and he still regretted that she was gone. But no longer did he regret the life he'd missed out on with her. Because now, what he had with Gabriel? Everything he'd ever had with Jess paled by comparison, and it made him bad to feel this way, but...he was almost glad she was gone.

He'd never had left her. He'd thought she was it for him, and at the time, she had been. But what he had with Gabriel was deeper, was more, and if he'd been with her...this would never have been.

He was sorry she was dead, sorry she was gone, sorry she didn't get a chance at the life she deserved.

But he was happy now. He hoped that, in whatever there was in the after, she was at peace, or finding her way to her own happiness.

Whatever there was in the after....

How odd that aliens, that the angels, had their own concept of reincarnation. ...But something about it seemed to resonate within him.

In the same way that the tell of the Blessed and the Guardian did, when Hurzef had told it.

He tilted his head down, looking at Gabriel again.

...It couldn't be, right?

Because...because if it was, then...then wouldn't Gabriel be human?

The working theory at the moment was that grace, once passed from the mortal coil, moved on to become soul here on Earth.

But Gabriel had felt the same thing Sam had, when Hurzef recounted what he knew of the Blessed.

It was a raw sensation of loss, though a bit removed.

It was intense enough that it made Sam suspect that reincarnation could be an actual thing, even if he still didn't want to subscribe to a real belief in a higher power or powers.

But...but if he and Gabriel were that, if they were reincarnated...what in the ever-loving hell did it mean exactly? And how could it be that Gabriel was born an angel? The belief system put before him didn't allow for that!

To say he was confused and annoyed would be putting it into bland terms.

However, his irritation was starting to pull at Gabriel, so he started to smother it from their connection and instead nuzzled him softly, pouring forth as many soft and loving emotions as he could.

His beloved mate settled back into sleep with little more than a sigh.

Sam took to staring at the ceiling once Gabriel was fully back into a deep sleep.

"...Father and Mother," he pondered in a whisper to the ceiling, speaking the names for the angelic deities for the first time. "...Where are you now?"

When he slipped back into sleep, he dreamt of dancing fledglings with tiny wings, and a loving mate at his side.

When he went to pick up Adam and Kevin in the afternoon the next day...well, awkward wouldn't begin to describe the interaction between Andy and the Asian brainiac.

Andy clapped the smaller man on the shoulder with a strained grin on his face. "See ya around, man," he said.

"Yeah, see ya," Kevin replied smoothly, a teasing smile tugging at his lips.

Andy's hand lingered until Sam cleared his throat. Then he jumped and yanked it back as though scalded, turning wide eyes onto everyone watching. Sam allowed Kevin a parting grin, then teleported them to the new compound.

At dinner later, Sam, Dean, Castiel, Gabriel, and Adam all sat at a separate table. They made it clear to the angels beforehand that it wasn't to cut them off, but rather to take the time for themselves to be a family. None took offense to it, and his family had a pleasant meal together.

Adam talked about taking up a residency at Erlanger Baroness Hospital in Chattanooga. He wanted to be closer to his courting nest, and wouldn't have to spend an entire week away from them at a time. Plus, he said, he wanted to study more about angelic biology and health under the guidance of Nariel and Mikiye.

That his little brother was going to be a doctor, a healer in his own right, made Sam feel a closer kinship to the younger man.

They took the time, after dinner, to allow Adam and Kevin both to tour their suites. Both young men cooed over Jackie's nursery, then hurried along to see the nursery set up for Gabriel and Sam's as-of-yet-unborn infants.

"Damn," Adam breathed, looking it over. "It's totally a kids' room, but it's like...high-end," he murmured, looking around.

Kevin nodded in agreement, and Gabriel huffed out a laugh. "It's not really meant to be like that," he explained, amused at Sam's embarrassment and pulsing softly with love as he met his gaze. "It's more that it's a combination of us, meant to comfort our fledglings as they grow...until they are too old to share a room, anyway," he said.

Kevin and Adam blinked, starting to look at the details of the room under that light, eyeing both Sam and Gabriel's wings as they picked up on the chestnut of the wood, and the gold accents scattered around.

"...It works," Adam spoke with a soft smile, looking at the cribs again.

Sam stepped up behind Gabriel, wrapping his arms around his middle and bending to rest his chin on his shoulder.

He was just so damned happy.

He awoke in the night again, frowning at the ceiling. Why was he awake? He turned to look at Gabriel, withholding a laugh to see his mate sprawled on his back haphazardly, limbs every-which-way, mouth hanging open as he let out a soft sound that was almost a snore.

He turned his head again and frowned at the time. ...2:36 again.

Two nights in a row, at the exact same time. That wasn't coincidence. Something was going on. ...But what ever could it be?

He turned his gaze back to the ceiling, as though it could give him the answers.

It didn't have them, of course. It was just a ceiling after all.

Slowly, gaze still on the ceiling, he pushed himself up and only looked away from the ceiling when the elevated position forced his gaze away. He looked down to Gabriel, smiling faintly, then carefully slipped from the bed, padding quietly from the room. He paused as he took in the living room, dimly lit under the light from the moon that spilled in from the balcony, before making his way out onto the wood-covered-stone of the jutting-out piece of the structure. He closed the door behind him, then turned and looked out toward the ocean.

...From here, it looked so very calm.

It made him feel a great unease, and he wasn't sure what to make of that. But...but it felt like.... God, Father, Mother, what-have-you, it sounded ridiculous, but it felt like foreshadowing. Like a...a sound or an absence of sound in a horror movie right before something terrifying happened.

He didn't like it. In all honesty, he was trying not to feel the terror that was creeping up around the edges of his awareness.

He turned his gaze to the moon and the stars that he could see. "...Please. Please, if you're there...if any of you are there, then please...whatever's coming, whatever happens...please help us to survive it," he whispered into the air.

He received no answer...but he actually had almost expected one. How very weird, for him.

He eventually sank into one of the cushioned outdoor chairs on the balcony. The air was warm, despite the early part of the year, and when he was next aware, Gabriel was shaking him awake with a faint worried amusement.

"What are you doing out here, Sammoose?" he spoke, allowing incredulity into his tone.

Sam wasn't sure what to tell him, so he shook his head. "Not sure. Just woke up and came out here...sorry, I meant to come back to bed," he answered with an apologetic smile.

Gabriel hummed softly in acknowledgement, glancing over his previously injured wing. "...Your feathers are regrowing so quickly. You almost can't tell you were hurt," he commented quietly.

"Yeah, well, it itches like a mother," he spoke with a soft laugh.

Gabriel shook his head and held out his hand. "Come on, let's go see about breakfast."

Breakfast was one of their standards of chocolate chip pancakes, and biscuits and gravy. By the time everyone had eaten their fill, Dean was heading for the door just as a knock sounded. Curious, Sam followed after, and felt more than sensed that Gabriel was close behind. He glanced back to confirm and saw that Cas was watching, but not coming along, working on feeding Jackie a bottle.

At the door were some heroes that Sam had never really actually met before, though he had a vague impression that he'd at least heard of them.

The man, at the forefront, strode right in with a broad grin. "The doctor is in!" he crowed. He had a dirty blonde mullet that almost made Sam's eye twitch, wore a pair of blue jeans that'd seen better days, a faded T-Shirt with an 80's hair band logo on it, and a slim black mask with silver etchings around the edges that reminded Sam of computer circuitry.

Behind him was an older woman with her mouth set in a tight, grim line. She looked completely unamused by everything and everyone. All the same, as she stepped in the door, her eyes danced about, taking in details from wings to furniture. "Moon Queen said you needed escorts for a shopping trip or two," she greeted in a no-nonsense tone. The blonde woman wore black leather armor, not unlike Dean and Sam's old uniforms, and had a wider black mask on with curls of scarlet dancing about the surface.

Stepping in behind them all with a deep sigh was a petite blonde woman, younger than the first. Her leather armor was a deep, dark purple with a matching mask that was about the same size of the woman's before her; her armor had white swirls in a near-tribal pattern that swept up the sides, and the mask held the same sort of white swirls along the bottom edge. "Ignore Doctor Badass and Ursa's manners, please. They don't tend to interact much with others. I'm Ursine," she introduced with a friendly smile.

Oh...oh! Yeah, Sam had heard of them! Ursa and Ursine, the mother-daughter team. The mother had super-strength that could rival Dean's, and an ability to manifest projectile weapons (though rumor was she tried to avoid doing so). Her daughter, Ursine, was lightning on her feet, and was able to create bursts of light that could disorient those in its path. They often teamed up with Doctor Badass, as the mullet-man called himself. Sam could help but cast a dubious look at him; he definitely didn't seem like a world class technopath-technomancer. But, Sam knew better than to actually judge. Appearances could be deceiving.

Besides, Dean looked like he was cool with the man's laidback attitude.

"Sam and Dean Winchester...this is Gabriel, my fiance and mate, and Castiel is feeding his and Dean's newborn over in the dining room. We haven't really had a chance to learn all the angels' names just yet, honestly. The past week and a half's been busy, but we can introduce you to a few," Sam spoke with a warm smile, gesturing about as he spoke.

Out of nowhere, the Doc gave a faint glow as he stared at the angels that were beginning to work on clean up. It brought Ursa and Ursine up short of saying anything, both looking at him for a cue.

When his glow faded, he shot a grin over at Dean, who was nearest him. "We should see about creating an official registry for ya angels, complete with defining characteristics, so that the government's more likely to issue official citizenship," he spoke.

"Yo..." Ursine began, shock in her tone. "Doc, you alright? You-You're suggesting citizenship, I mean? You, the biggest conspiracy theorist I know of personally?"

The man turned to the side, looking back at her with a smirk. "I didn't suggest putting RFID trackers on 'em, 'sine. Just citizenship...there's benefits to that," he said with a shrug.

Sam blinked and considered, then glanced at Dean. His brother was already looking at him for his opinion, and Sam gave a shrug. "We'll think on it, Doctor Badass," he said aloud, turning his gaze onto the mullet-man. "It's something we'll have to seriously consider, and not just on our own," he added. "Feel free to relax for a bit. We'll head out in about an hour," he tacked on.

"About that," Ursa spoke up, stepping further in to the building and allowing Ursine enough room to finally close the door behind them. "Where all are we going, exactly?" she asked, tone genuinely inquisitive.

"Ah, I was wanting to hit up the Mall of America...most likely, we'll be able to get pretty much everything and anything the angels are wanting there, honestly. But I was also considering a Bed, Bath, and Beyond as well. We'll see, I guess," he said.

"...The Mall of America..." Ursine spoke, eyebrows up near her hairline. She tilted to the side, looking around the group by the door to the angels moving about the kitchen and dining area. "...How many we got to look after?"

"Thirty-eight, with Castiel and Jackie. Dean and I are exceptions...and uh...Gabriel's got a..." Sam began, glancing at his mate with a strained frown.

"If things get bad, I get glowy," Gabriel chimed in with a sharp grin. "Glowy, wrathy, and very firey."

"So I've seen, dude," Doc said with a chuckle.

Ursa and Ursine looked lost. "Right. ...We're going to count that as forty, though, given you two are very obviously pregnant and shouldn't be in the line of fire," Ursa spoke brusquely.

Sam did his very best not to appeared annoyed. His feathers still ruffled, and Gabriel's wings twitched upward in defiance as he shot a scowl at the woman.

"That's the thing about us, cupcake," the golden angel spoke with a saccharine-sweet grin. "We don't have to be near anyone to do serious, even fatal damage," he finished, before turning and flouncing away.

Sam smiled after him for a moment, then smirked and skirted off after.

They had just under an hour to kill before they had to head out, and his fiance's snark had kicked Sam's libido into drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never been to the Mall of America...but they have a nice looking map on their website to help me.
> 
> And SOOOO many candy stores.
> 
> Sam (at Gabe's behest) is going to make Charlie go broke XD (not really).
> 
> Gonna try to get a chapter up for AYS, but not sure if it's in the cards today. If not, sorry!


End file.
